Silent Companion
by Pokeyonekenobie
Summary: The Preventers have been assigned to break up a human trafficking ring. What they found was not what they expected. The one living victim isn't talking. Will they be able to earn her trust and get her to talk? More importantly, will they be able to keep her alive long enough to do it? Companion fic to Silent Witness (see A/N in 1st chap) 1X2 3XOC 5XS CXOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! How is everyone? Well, I did promise a companion fic to Silent Witness and here's the first bit. I don't know how often I'll be posting just yet as it isn't quite where I want it, but I did want to start getting some of it out there for you. (No, I haven't forgotten the sequel to Sandrock's Rhapsody-it's just harder to write because I have to do a ton of research. You'll understand once I get it off the ground, but I promise it is still coming my lovelies!) **

**I****f you've read Silent Witness (Thank You!) then you know where this story is going. However, since some people find first person POV to be annoying, this fic is NOT that way and will show the plot from the point of view of all the characters EXCEPT the girl. We don't get to know anything about what she thinks about things unless Quatre decides to tell us. For that, you'll have to read the other story! Isn't that fun? I hope you all enjoy it.**

**As always, reviews are lovely. Please feel free to leave one or not. I don't hold stories hostage for them, but they are very much appreciated. **

**The M rating is due to m****ild swearing, violence, abuse, non-graphic mention of NCS, (some only attempted, but some successful). This side of the story also has PTSD flashbacks and some grisly imagery, but as always I try to keep it tasteful while getting the point across. **

**Let's throw the disclaimer in (and it applies to all chapters): I do not now, nor will I ever own Gundam Wing...unless it goes on super sale and then I might have a chance at selling my soul in exchange for it.**

**Okay, I think that's all the logistics...on with the story! Enjoy...**

* * *

**Silent Companion**

**Chapter 1**

"Is everyone clear on what they're supposed to be doing?" Heero asked.

Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei nodded.

"Then get going. We need the element of surprise on our side. If our guy really is here, we can't let him get away."

Trowa and Wufei left to join their teams as Quatre and Duo crept quietly towards the chateau in the middle of the woods. It was a large house, Victorian in design. From the blueprints they'd acquired it had a basement, two floors and an attic. The plan was for Duo and Quatre to sneak in, deactivate the alarms and then start in the basement looking for their quarry. Once the alarms were deactivated, Wufei and Trowa would lead their teams inside, Trowa's team of three going through the front door and starting from the top and Wufei's team of four entering from the back door and covering the main floor in order to apprehend anyone the other teams flushed out.

* * *

Heero's team was hidden in the woods surrounding the house to ensure that no one escaped. This mission was among the most frustrating missions they'd had since becoming Preventers, but that didn't make it important, at least in Heero's mind. Heero suspected that Colonel Une had given them this assignment because she wanted it shut down quickly. Colonel Une felt that human trafficking was something that the local police precincts should be handling, especially since this particular one seemed to be isolated to this area. She was annoyed that they were wasting Preventer resources on something that should be simple to shut down. Heero agreed with the Colonel, but he knew that the others thought this mission was important, so he went along without voicing his complaints. They'd worked together since the war in one way or another and he wasn't one to break up the team over something as trivial as "this mission is dumb." If that was a valid reason not to do a mission, they wouldn't have had to break up a puppy smuggling ring two years ago. Granted, the rumors were that it was a gun smuggling ring, but even Quatre agreed that the local police should have handled that incident.

At least their other missions had been more of what Heero considered worth their time. Most 'fires', as incidents were referred to by the Preventer ranks, could be doused in a few weeks. But this one…this one had been plaguing the Preventers for over a year and Heero still wasn't sure all of the leads went to the same case. It seemed like they were dealing with more than one trafficking network. After all, one guy couldn't possibly be responsible for all the rumors the Preventers were trying to follow up, right? Of course, that's what Une was trying to prove by sending them out like this. And so far, it looked like she was right. This was all small-time crime that the local authorities should be handling.

The last three leads they'd had on this case had resulted in two dead ends and an abandoned brothel house where two of the former hookers were still living. They had claimed that they were coerced into working there but given how they'd propositioned the point team, Heero doubted it. He figured this location would the same: either a dead end or deserted. But sloppy work was not his style, so they would follow protocol and search the entire house, apprehending and questioning everyone they found. Heero suspected that when this lead turned out to be a dud, Colonel Une would be able to convince the higher ups that this was a waste of time and they could get back to missions where their special skills would actually be put to use.

* * *

Wufei and Trowa waited patiently, watching Quatre's and Duo's progress through the overgrown garden.

While he would never admit it out loud, Wufei hoped that this particular mission would turn up something. There had been rumors about the trafficking ring for years, but for some reason, Colonel Une had elected not to investigate. Granted, right after the whole Mariemaia incident, things were a proper mess and there hadn't been time. But some of the missions they'd been sent out on recently weren't really that pressing. She could have used regular agents to look into the rumors about L-28995 preparing to block trade with the other colonies. It turned out to be nothing more than experimenting with hydroponic gardening. And then there was that asinine puppy smuggling thing. Total. Waste. Of. Time. Not to mention money. And it had cut into his medical training. Wufei had decided that if he was going to make being a Preventer into a career, he wanted to be able to keep his team alive in an emergency. Sally still knew more than he did, and he knew he would probably never know as much as she did, but if he could keep his agents alive until Sally could get to them, that would satisfy him.

The only other lead they'd had that had turned up anything recently had led them to a rundown brothel. Sure, the two hookers that resided there had been malnourished, but really, other than that, their condition wasn't bad. And they chose to live that life, even though they claimed to have been coerced once questions concerning the trafficking rumors were asked. Wufei's desire for something to turn up was because if the trafficking ring got out of hand, it could be detrimental to the peace they'd fought so hard to attain. Human trafficking had a way of contributing to the corruption of those in governing positions. The current government was too new and too vulnerable. A corrupt leader at this early stage could plunge the Earth and the Colonies into a civil war that it might not recover from. That scenario was not something that Wufei could accept. He would keep the peace at all costs.

Trowa shifted his stance, ready to lead the charge to the front door. Duo and Quatre were almost to the back entrance. Trowa hoped that this mission would just go smoothly. He had told Catherine that once this mission was wrapped up, he'd be returning to the circus. He was really looking forward to returning to the routine of the circus. There were new tiger cubs to train and Cathy had been working up a new act. He knew she was excited to show him and she'd mentioned that it was possible to add him to it if he wanted. He had already discussed his resignation with Colonel Une. Basically, he'd be called upon only when his skills were needed. And hopefully there wouldn't be any more missions involving stolen puppies. Trowa liked animals more than most people, but seriously? Did they really need former Gundam pilots to track down petty thieves?

* * *

Quatre and Duo picked their way through the garden. This side of the house was bathed in shadows as the sun was starting to set. According to the intel, by keeping close to the house they should be able to get to the back door without being seen by the cameras. From there, Quatre would cover the entrance while Duo slipped through the doggy door and deactivated the alarms. At Quatre's signal, Trowa's and Wufei's teams would move in and the search would begin.

Quatre had his gun drawn as he led the way. Not for the first time Quatre wondered if maybe he should have just sucked it up and dealt with the Winner Corporation. He didn't much care to crawl around in the mud or get smacked in the face with plant life, but he detested sitting in board meetings or clawing his way through mountains of paperwork. His sisters were running the company for the time being, until he "got this phase out of his system." Quatre had warned them that he wasn't sure how long it would take before he could force himself to stay at a desk job, but they seemed confident that he would "come to his senses" any time now.

"Duo, watch your footing. This garden hasn't been tended to in ages," he whispered.

"Yeah yeah," Duo muttered in response as he looked around. Something about this mission had him on edge. Something just felt off about the whole thing. It wasn't like the other leads they'd had. Those had just seemed like they wouldn't pan out. Who sets up a human trafficking business in the back room of a tampon factory? And the puzzle shop, while lending a dirty double entendre to Duo's imagination, hadn't exactly come across as a likely location either. And what about the lead that led them to a rundown old brothel with rundown old hookers? He still hadn't forgiven Heero for making him run point that day. And it definitely wasn't like that stupid puppy thing they'd had to deal with, not that there was anything wrong with puppies. Duo just didn't see why they'd had to waste three months tracking someone that carried dog biscuits in his pockets and threatened to teach his dogs to pee only on Preventer uniforms. Couldn't the local cops have handled that?

* * *

The girl was being difficult again...stubborn little chit. He supposed he should have expected it. After all, she'd been defiant since day one. Nothing he tried had managed to break her. He'd tried being nice, he'd tried being cruel. He'd tried to scare her into behaving and when that didn't work, he'd tried beating her into submission.

Decart had told him from the beginning that his methods wouldn't work. He insisted that getting the girls to submit willingly was a waste of time, money and energy.

Of course, he thought he'd found the perfect candidate. This girl's parents were so easy to control he'd thought the girl would pose no challenge. He couldn't have been more wrong. If this didn't work, he was going to have to admit defeat.

He threw the girl into the corner, perversely satisfied as her head hit the wall. Perhaps it would knock some sense into her.

"I once said that I would break you first, but I'm tired of waiting. I will break you today." He grabbed the girl by the leg and pulled her onto her back. Still the girl defied him. He'd whipped her daily for the last two months. The mess her back was in was sure to lower her resale value, but he couldn't let her defy him and get away with it. He'd beaten her yesterday until she passed out. He supposed it would have been easier to take the last of her innocence while she was unconscious, but he wanted to watch the defiance leave her eyes.

He straddled the girl's hips and leaned over her, enjoying the terror in her eyes. She could not escape him now. She could not match his strength and struggling would be futile. "Don't worry, my little one. You're of age now, so this won't hurt as much as it could."

She stared at him, disbelief evident on her face. Oh, he knew that wasn't how it worked, but it was so much fun to play with her head. He chuckled as his hands felt their way up and down her slender little body, finally resting on the button of her jeans. "After all the trouble you've given me, I'm going to enjoy this." He undid the button and eased down the zipper, slipping his hand down the girl's front and fondling her. "Oh yes, I will enjoy this." He started to tug down her pants. He laughed as she tried to push his hands away. "You had your chance to cooperate and chose not to." He laid on top of her, grinding their hips together. Putting his face close to hers he said, "I once told you that you were mine. Unfortunately, I've had an offer for you that I just can't refuse. But he doesn't want someone inexperienced, so I still get to take you. It's too bad. This client goes through girls like water through a sieve. When he's done with you, you will beg for me." He knelt between the girls legs and started to undo his pants. "Relax and it won't hurt as much."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Shit!" Duo's foot had gotten tangled and he fell hard. An alarm blared as Duo cursed every plant in the damn garden. Quatre signaled Wufei and Trowa to storm the building and then knelt down to help Duo get his foot untangled from the wires that had been hidden in the underbrush.

Duo was swearing under his breath as Heero ran up to assess the situation.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Damn wires got tangled around my foot."

The alarm cut out as Quatre cut the wires away from Duo's foot. "Not a very good alarm system if it can be deactivated from out here," Quatre commented with a frown.

Heero grunted. "Well I hope you're happy. We've lost the element of surprise."

"Yeah, because I tripped on purpose," Duo shot back, standing up.

"Just get inside." Heero abruptly turned and stalked back to his team.

Duo gave an exasperated grunt. "I really hate when he gets stuck in 'Mission Mode,'" he groused.

Quatre gave his friend a sympathetic look. "I know. Come on, we've got work to do."

* * *

Trowa burst through the front door with his team and immediately headed up the stairs. He trusted Wufei to get in and take care of his part. The second floor had six rooms to check before they would move up to the attic. Trowa had considered starting in the attic, but as it was more likely for the rooms on this floor to be occupied, he had decided to start here instead.

"Lieberman, stay here and prevent anyone from going downstairs. Cooper and Jameson, cover me. We're going to inspect these rooms one at a time."

The three agents nodded and Lieberman, an intimidating agent at 6'8" and able to bench press a Buick, took up his position at the top of the stairs. No one would get past him. Trowa went to the first door and pushed it open. The room was small and mostly tidy. An unmade twin sized bed, a dresser and a nightstand were the only furniture. The carpet was stained, but with what Trowa couldn't be certain. The pinkish carpet had streaks on it as though someone had tracked something from outside and then tried to clean it up, but they were unsuccessful. A glance at the brownish carpet in the hall confirmed this theory as the marks went down the hall but then they disappeared beneath a stain on the wall. What was that? Trowa looked closer. It almost looked like dried blood. Trowa suppressed a shudder at the thought. He didn't want to try and figure out how blood would have gotten on the wall in such a way. He hoped he was wrong.

Moving cautiously inside the room, Trowa opened the closet, which revealed clothing such as a teenage girl might wear. Satisfied there was no one in the closet, he moved to a door on the other side of the room. The door revealed an empty bathroom. It, too, was clean, but something felt off about it. Trowa frowned as he realized that there was but one threadbare towel hanging on the rack, no toilet paper and no soap. Surely nobody actually _used_ this bathroom. It was possible that they had simply not restocked, but it seemed odd that anyone would keep a frequented bathroom this devoid of basic necessities. But if the bathroom wasn't used, was the bedroom? Whose clothes were in the closet?

Trowa scowled as he pushed the questions aside and moved to the next room. This door opened on a mess. The bed was unmade and the blankets were almost completely on the floor. Trowa approached the bed. Was that blood? Yes. There was no mistaking that. Given how much was soaked into the sheets, the mattress was probably stained. Trowa motioned for his agents to be careful not to mess with any potential evidence. As a precaution, Trowa checked under the bed and in the closet, both of which were empty. The three agents moved to the next room. They would come back for evidence once the house was cleared.

* * *

"This floor is clear," Wufei reported as Duo and Quatre entered the house. "Trowa's team is already searching upstairs."

Quatre nodded. "Is it looking to be a dead lead?"

Wufei shrugged. "Too early to tell."

"Let's just get on with it," Duo grouched as he headed for the stairs that would lead to the basement.

Wufei raised an eyebrow at Quatre.

"He isn't usually that much of a klutz. And the fact that it lost us the element of surprise is annoying him," Quatre explained quietly.

Wufei nodded. The four of them knew about Quatre's ability to know what they were feeling. Empathy, he called it, but it seemed more than that. Wufei thought it was closer to ESP, and if not for witnessing Quatre's abilities firsthand, he would have written it off as new-age fiddle faddle. The ability to know how they felt was annoying sometimes, but it could be useful and it only helped Quatre's diplomacy.

"Right. Best not keep him waiting. Hopefully by the time you're done down there he'll have cooled off."

Quatre nodded his agreement. An annoyed Duo was more dangerous than usual. The sooner he got back to his normal, happy self, the less damage there would be to whatever he took his frustration out on.

* * *

He left the girl with a warning not to try and escape, though with the shape she was in, she wouldn't get far if she did. The house alarm was easily shut off from the control panel in the prep room. Now to see what set it off. The alarm hadn't been triggered recently and the last time it had been because a mouse chewed through one of the wires. Still…no point in taking chances. He was angry that he hadn't gotten farther in the girl's 'training.' But if it was nothing, he would be back at her soon enough. He hoped she enjoyed these last few moments with her innocence. He headed towards the stairs and paused as he heard footsteps overhead. He had a client upstairs but there was no way the man could make that much noise by himself.

Swearing under his breath, he headed back the way he came. He thought about grabbing the girl, but if she realized someone was there that could help her, it was likely she'd attempt to escape. Even if she wasn't stupid enough to try and escape, two people were more likely to be caught than one. He smirked. Maybe once they caught his client they'd leave. Still…no point in waiting inside for that to happen. He decided to take his private escape route and watch from a safe location. Once they left, he'd get back to work on the girl.

He slipped silently through the hall to a door that he'd had installed for just such an occasion. The door was well oiled and made no noise as he slipped out. Cursing, he stuck to the shadows. There were Preventer agents everywhere, milling about. He watched and waited. He would have to move as soon as there was an opening.

He started to get antsy the longer it took. There were only two agents now. He grinned as the agents were called away for something. He slipped silently into the woods. He had a few places he could wait for them to leave. As he headed to a cave on the south side of his property he thought about the girl. He frowned. What if they found her? He shrugged. It isn't like she would talk. She wouldn't dare. And if she did, he had ways of getting her back. He smirked as he realized that the invading agents would terrify her. Maybe once he got her back she'd have learned to behave herself.

He found the hidden entrance to the cave he'd renovated. It was fully furnished and boasted enough emergency supplies to last him a month. He settled into his easy chair with a drink and a book. He'd wait out those nosy Preventers. It was all just a matter of time before the girl got what she had coming.

* * *

Trowa put a finger to his lips. There was noise coming from the next room and he wanted to get the drop on whoever was inside.

He kicked down the door, yelling, "PREVENTERS! FREEZE!"

Trowa was furious and disgusted at what he saw. "YOU! STAND UP AND KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"

The naked man crawled off the girl and stood with his hands out to his sides.

"Cooper, check the girl," Trowa ordered, keeping his gun trained on the man. The man was older, balding and overweight. "What's your name?"

The man scowled at Trowa. Who was this whelp to tell him what to do? Just because he had a gun didn't mean he was in charge.

"I asked you to tell me your name. I won't ask again."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Decart."

Trowa kept his face neutral. They'd found their target.

"Sir, the girl…" Cooper started, not wanting to say what needed to be said.

"Report, Cooper."

"She's dead, sir."

Trowa narrowed his eyes. "You sick bastard. What are you doing screwing a corpse?"

"She wasn't when I started," the man answered cockily.

"You're under arrest." Trowa motioned with his gun towards the door. "Let's go."

The man walked out the door and instantly took off down the hall in the opposite direction of Lieberman.

"STOP!"

The man ducked into one of the rooms they hadn't checked yet. Trowa followed and jumped back into the hallway as the man started firing on the Preventer agents.

Trowa allowed his anger and annoyance to get the better of him as he leaned into the doorway and fired back. No one took shots at his team.

There was a scream of pain and the man yelled, "I surrender! Please…stop shooting at me!"

"Throw your weapon to me." Trowa cautiously leaned into the doorway to watch the perpetrator.

The man was lying on the ground, clutching a bleeding leg and moaning in pain. "I can't…help me!"

"Throw me your weapon," Trowa told the man evenly.

"You're a cruel sonofabitch, you know that!"

"Throw. Me. Your. Weapon." Trowa didn't give a rat's ass that the man was in pain. He had no sympathy for anyone that would treat women the way he did.

The man let out a grunt of frustration and, with what looked like a great amount of effort, threw his gun towards the door.

It didn't make it as close as Trowa would have liked, but it was out of reach of the man. Trowa carefully approached, keeping his gun trained on the man. Once he had the villain's weapon in hand, he motioned for his team to enter.

"Cooper, have Lieberman take him out and ask Agent Chang to send up some of his crew to take care of the girl we found."

Cooper went to do as ordered while Jameson kept his weapon trained on the man whining on the floor. Suddenly, the man grabbed at something under the bed. He pulled out another gun and shot. Jameson fell to the ground with the force of the impact as Trowa sent a round through the man's chest. The man wheezed but shakily aimed at Trowa.

Trowa calmly sent another bullet through the man's chest, killing him this time. Satisfied that the criminal was no longer a threat, Trowa knelt next to Jameson, who was sitting up. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…Kevlar did its job."

Trowa nodded. He was glad that he insisted his team always wear bulletproof vests. True, it wouldn't help them if they got shot in the face, but most of their quarry tended to shoot for the heart. Jameson would be bruised but it was a small price to pay.

Wufei appeared in the doorway, tensed and ready for action, with Lieberman and Cooper behind him. "What happened, Barton?"

Trowa stood. "He pulled another weapon out from under the bed and targeted Jameson. I neutralized the threat."

Wufei grunted in annoyance. "Killing our only lead was not a wise idea, Barton."

Trowa casually pointed at the video camera in the corner. "All we have to do is find where they keep the tapes and we'll have everything we need."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "You know Une wants a _live_ suspect to interrogate."

"We're not done searching this part of the house yet. We might find more assholes like that one."

"Trowa—"

"Don't, Wufei! Just DON'T! I'll discuss this with you later but right now I have an attic to search." Trowa pushed past Wufei towards the stairs at the end of the hall. Before heading up, he turned. "Lieberman, you and Jameson check the other rooms on this floor. Alert Agent Chang if you find anything before I come back down. Cooper, stand guard at the bottom of these stairs in case I flush anything out."

As Trowa disappeared up the stairs Wufei asked, "What triggered that?"

Jameson cleared his throat. "Uh…Sir…when we first found this guy he was…he was…_with_ a dead girl that he claimed was alive when he started with her."

Wufei shut his eyes as he willed his rage to subside. Opening his eyes he said, "Finish searching the rooms. I'll send some of my team up to remove the girl. Hopefully she can be identified and her family notified."

"Um…what about…him, sir?"

"Leave it. The trash will get taken out later."

"Yes, Sir!"

Wufei left the men to their jobs. He only wished the bastard was alive so he could kill him again.

* * *

Quatre and Duo systematically searched the basement. Most of the lights were burnt out and even the lights that weren't were not very good. Most rooms were empty. One looked like a cell. Duo suppressed a shudder as he remembered being held in a room similar during the wars. The only difference was that Oz hadn't provided him a cot, though given an option between the floor and the cot in this room, he'd take the floor any day.

Quatre frowned as he picked up the negative vibe from his partner. "You don't suppose anyone…stayed here, do you?"

"If they did, it wasn't by choice," Duo retorted. "Let's get on with it."

Quatre sighed and followed his friend. Duo's mood didn't look to be lifting any time soon.

Duo opened the next door and the two former pilots gagged on the stench of blood and death. It took them both several minutes to get themselves under control.

Quatre covered his mouth and nose with a hand as he looked inside. "It looks like a butcher shop. But…I don't know. Something isn't right about it." He focused his empathic abilities, trying to tie down the general feeling of the room. There was a strange sense of glee. He shuddered at the contrary feeling.

Duo, covering his mouth and nose as well, nodded as he looked around the room. There were a couple of long tables, rolls of butcher paper and tape and a couple of aprons that had blood stains on them. There were blood stains leading to a drain in the middle of the floor. "Yeah. We should have the forensics guys try to identify the blood. It might be that the guy who owns this place goes hunting, but…" he left the thought unfinished as Quatre nodded his agreement.

They shut the door to prevent the stench from seeping through the rest of the basement and moved on to the next hallway.

"This basement is bigger than I thought," Duo remarked as they reached the end of the hallway only to find another one. Duo looked to the left and the right. "This wasn't on the blueprints Heero brought to the briefing. Why don't you go that way and I'll go this way."

"Are you sure splitting up is a good idea?"

"We haven't found anything so far. I kinda doubt we will at this point."

Quatre frowned. "Okay. But yell if you find _anything_."

Duo nodded and headed down the hallway to the left.

Quatre headed to the right. Every door he opened with the fear of being ambushed. Fortunately, every room was empty. It was weird. There was nothing. Not even an emotion he could pin down. He groaned as he opened the last door. It led outside. It was the perfect escape route. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned back to head towards Duo. He noticed a video camera and made a mental note to tell Heero that there were cameras throughout the building. If they could access the footage, it would make this investigation infinitely easier.

He stopped short as a sickening stab of disgust hit him and nausea rolled through him. He closed his eyes and focused. It was Trowa. Something upset Trowa. Something was seriously wrong upstairs.

"QUAT!"

Quatre was pulled from his thoughts at Duo's yell.

"THERE'S A BODY IN HERE!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just to let you know, there is no set posting schedule for this fic. It'll kind of be whenever I get a new chapter ready. Enjoy...**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Trowa took a deep breath at the top of the stairs. He needed to calm down before he went back downstairs. At first glance, the attic didn't seem to have anyone in it. However, it was full of boxes that would be easy to hide behind. There was a musty smell that he supposed went along with attic and storage spaces, but there was something else, too. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the faint smell was familiar.

Trowa stood quietly, listening for any movement. After a few minutes he started to walk silently among the boxes. They were stacked neatly in rows. Someone had taken a lot of time to make them just so. Once he was certain there was no one upstairs, Trowa went over and looked out of the small window.

He watched Heero's team putting up perimeter tape and setting up tents. Based on the lateness of the hour and because this was _not_ a dead lead, they would be staying the night. Had the lead turned out to be false, they would have had time to get back to the base tonight. As it was, the earliest they could get the necessary evidence and get out of here would be tomorrow morning, and that was if they worked in shifts to get everything done. Trowa figured they would gather what they could tonight, finish in the morning and head back tomorrow afternoon. If there was a lot of evidence, they would leave a team here to continue working while the initial reports were made and then they would come back up until the job was done.

Trowa sighed. He'd best get on with checking the boxes. He wouldn't have time to check all of them, that would be a job for after the initial house clearing when more agents were available to help, but he needed to check a couple. He figured that they would have old sweaters or antiques inside like most boxes left in a storage area.

Picking a large box at random, Trowa used his boot knife to slit the tape holding it shut and immediately regretted opening the box. He rushed to the window and sucked in fresh air, forcing his gag reflex under control. He had to quash the desire to dash down the stairs and into the bathroom to throw up. He knew as soon as he opened the box that they were dealing with a _very_ sick individual. The faint smell he'd recognized was the putrid aroma of rotting corpses. That would have been bad enough. But the box contained _pieces_ of corpses.

Trowa choked back bile, trying to banish the image of lifeless heads, some fresher than others, staring back at him with eyeless sockets and tongueless, toothless mouths open in grotesque silent screams. The rest of the boxes probably contained the other pieces and if not…that was a hell of a lot of heads. This was precisely why he wanted out of this line of work. It would have been one thing to know that there were bodies up there. To have it pop out like that was dangerous. He was afraid it would trigger a flashback. If it did, that would be hazardous for those around him. He had to report to Heero anyway and it would be safer if he stayed near the former Wing pilot until the sensation passed. Heero was the only one of their number that came close enough to matching his strength and fighting skill. Lieberman was strong, but still couldn't best Trowa in hand to hand combat. No, if he got out of control, Heero would be best suited to subdue him and if necessary, he could call one of the others for backup.

Once he was sure he wouldn't lose it, Trowa made his way down the stairs.

"Sir? Are you alright?" Cooper asked upon seeing Trowa's pale complexion.

Trowa took a deep breath. "Fine. Don't let anyone upstairs. Leave it for the forensics team."

"What…what did you find?" Cooper asked apprehensively. He'd seen his commanding officer deal with a lot of disturbing cases without coming close to having this kind of reaction. Even though he was young for an officer, the former Gundam Pilot had seen more than most of the agents.

"Let's just say I know where he hid the bodies…what's left of them anyway."

Cooper paled. "Y-yes, sir. I won't let anyone up without your clearance."

Trowa nodded. "I'm going out to speak with Agent Yuy. I shouldn't be too long."

Cooper nodded and went back to his post.

Trowa headed out to Heero's command tent, barely noticing Jameson and Lieberman. His only thought was to get to a safe place before he started flashing.

* * *

Wufei saw Trowa leave and realized immediately what was happening. He followed silently, not wanting to trigger Trowa's fight or flight reflex. Trowa's team hadn't reported anything to him, which meant something had been found in the attic. Wufei drew closer as Trowa approached Heero's command center, an old van that had been outfitted with several computers.

"Heero…I need…to report," Trowa choked out.

Heero looked up from a laptop and immediately nodded. "Come with me. You, too, Chang."

Wufei nodded and followed his comrades to a nearby tent. Heero motioned to a cot.

"Sit, Trowa. Drink this." Heero handed Trowa a bottle of water and stepped back, giving his friend some space but ready to move if Trowa had a violent flash. They'd all had them and were pretty good at seeing when the others were about to experience a flashback. Sometimes it was an outside trigger and sometimes the trigger was completely unexpected. Like the time they'd been roasting marshmallows at one of Quatre's cabins and something had made Duo flash. He spent the better part of an hour bawling in Heero's arms. When he came out of it he said it had been a combination of the fire and the aftershave Quatre was wearing. Apparently it was the same brand Father Maxwell used to wear and the combined scents had been too much for Duo to fight off. Quatre had immediately gone inside, bathed to rid himself of the scent and thrown away the bottle. None of them ever bought that brand again.

Wufei stayed by the entrance to the tent. It wouldn't do for Barton to slip past them and run into someone who didn't know what was going on. Trowa wouldn't hurt any of the men on purpose, but the problem with some flashbacks was that you literally didn't know where you were. For all you knew, you _were_ in the Oz base being fired on, not in the grocery store picking up a loaf of bread. Wufei had an embarrassing flash that only Heero knew about, being that he'd been with Wufei at the time. Fortunately, bread was not an effective weapon and it didn't explode when thrown at "the enemy" so there really wasn't any harm done, except to his pride. He'd switched grocery stores after that, unable to bring himself to go there anymore. Heero had sworn not to tell anyone, especially Duo.

Both men waited tensely to see if Trowa would truly flash or if it would pass.

Trowa sipped at the water and tried to focus. It wasn't working. Images of the wars assaulted his mind. Burning cities…lifeless bodies of helpless women and children…guerilla warfare with the mercenaries that raised him…he had to leave. Smells started permeating his senses…gunpowder…burning rubber…scorched flesh…the acrid tang of blood mixed with the cologne of the guy that just got his head blown off. He had to get away. It wasn't safe here. They were coming for him. He had to get back to his patrol. The rendezvous point…where was it? A league north of here? Two?

"Report."

Trowa frowned. Where was his communicator?

"Report Barton."

He had no idea where his communicator was. Still, it seemed to be working so he reported as ordered. "Sir…unsure of exact location. I think I'm about a league south of the rendezvous…a signal so I know of the direction would be appreciated."

"What of your situation?"

"Uncertain."

"Mission status?"

Trowa frowned again. "I think…"

"Mission status?"

Trowa closed his eyes and shook his head. "Mission…incomplete?"

"What were your orders?"

"Infiltrate and…and…" Trowa blinked and the tent came into focus. He looked up at Heero and Wufei. "I flashed, didn't I?"

* * *

Duo stopped Quatre at the door. "Don't go in there. I'll get someone else to get the body."

Quatre sighed. "Duo…it's okay. I can handle it. I don't get why you guys all feel the need to protect me."

"It isn't that we don't think you can handle it. We just know that you…ya know…_feel_ things that we can't. We know it isn't easy on ya and we worry…that's all."

Quatre gave his friend a small smile. "Thank you, Duo, but I signed on for this and I'll be fine." Quatre strode into the room, giving it a once over as he headed toward the girl's body in the corner. The room was a small, filthy cement room with only a single, dull light bulb to provide light. No furniture, no windows…nothing but the girl.

Quatre frowned as he got closer to the girl. Something was off. He was suddenly filled with absolute terror. Stopping in his tracks he turned to Duo. "She's not dead," he said quietly.

"Huh? Of course she's dead…look at her."

"I'm telling you, she's terrified of us. She's not dead." Quatre turned back to the girl and inched forward. "Easy…it's okay…we're not going to hurt you."

The girl didn't move. Duo looked at her, still skeptical. Seriously? She had to be dead. She'd been beaten and starved, that much was obvious. She had black eyes, bruised cheeks, a split lip, her arms were covered in bruises of varying shades and from what Duo could see in this poor lighting, her legs were far too skinny in those jeans. She looked like a Halloween decoration you put on the porch to scare little kids. Duo shook his head. "Quatre…I think you're getting your hopes up. Come on, we'll get Heero to send someone for her and they can do an autopsy to see how she died."

Quatre glared at Duo from his position a few feet from the girl. "She _isn't_ dead. She's alive and we're _not_ going to just leave her here."

Duo scowled. "Fine then. Hey! If you're alive let's get a move on. We've got stuff to do."

"You don't need to yell at her, Duo. She's scared enough as it is." Quatre turned back to the girl. "Come on, we're friends. We're here to help you. Just come with us and you'll be safe. We've got food…are you hungry? All you have to do to get it is come with us."

Duo huffed. Even if the girl _was_ alive she was being damned difficult. Duo was still angry at tripping in the garden and they hadn't found anything down here for him to beat the daylights out of so he was more than ready to head outside and hit a tree for a few minutes. Never mind that Heero was angry with him over something that wasn't exactly his fault. And now he was stuck in this creepy basement with a room of death only a few feet away trying to get a girl who (if she wasn't dead) obviously didn't want their help and it was all because of Quatre's damned bleeding heart.

Maybe he could try some reverse psychology on the girl. Duo cleared his throat and said airily, "I dunno…it seems to me that we should just leave her. She isn't coming willingly."

Quatre gave Duo an incredulous look. "Duo, we can't leave her. We don't know what could happen to her if we do."

"So what, we just grab her and see how well that goes over?" Duo was getting annoyed again. Why did this stupid girl have to be so damned difficult? She just had to agree to go with them and everything would be hunky dory but nooooo….

"If we have to. Let me see if I can get her to come with us. If not, I'll let you grab her and we'll deal with it, okay?"

Duo could tell Quatre was trying to placate him, and he decided that it wouldn't be fair to keep upsetting Quatre. His friend was already stressed out enough with how scared the girl supposedly was. Duo sighed. "Whatever, Quatre. But make it quick, Heero won't appreciate it if we make him wait all day."

Quatre nodded and knelt next to the girl. Duo's eyes widened as the girl flinched. So she really wasn't dead. Duo watched as Quatre flinched as well. Not for the first time, Duo wondered what it must be like to feel how everyone around you felt. The girl kept her eyes scrunched shut as Quatre knelt near to her and started to reach a hand out.

"We won't hurt you," Quatre tried to assure the girl. He thought that if he could get her to look at them maybe it would help. She curled up on herself in the corner as Quatre reached towards her. "Please come with us. It isn't safe here. I promise no one will hurt you."

Duo watched as the girl curled up tighter in an attempt to keep Quatre from touching her and his patience was wearing thin. "Come on, Quat, this isn't working. She's obviously got a serious case of Stockholm's. Either I grab her or we leave her. I don't care which anymore."

"Shut up Duo," Quatre ordered, now annoyed himself. He silently cursed as the girl pulled herself as tight into the corner as she could manage. He took a calming breath and carefully said, "Please come with us. It really isn't safe." Quatre lightly brushed her shoulder with his fingers and jerked his hand back, his eyes wide. He'd never felt so much terror, hurt, and distrust at once before. It broke his heart to think that anyone would ever have any reason to feel that way. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Quatre watched as the girl slowly opened one eye. It killed him to see so much wariness in her. It only bolstered his resolve to help her. Her eye roved over to Duo, who was obviously annoyed and pointedly not paying attention to her. No doubt she was wondering if they would really help her or if they were there to harm her. Quatre decided in that moment that no matter what, he would earn her trust. It was a bit selfish, he knew, but he wanted to prove that not everyone was going to hurt her.

"Can you stand up?" Quatre asked, pulling her attention back to him. She stared blankly at him. Quatre wasn't sure if she was refusing to answer him on purpose or not. It was hard to discern any emotions beyond fear and suspicion.

"Quatre, come on! We don't have time for this." Duo had reached the end of his patience. The girl could be left to rot for all he cared. He was getting claustrophobic and he swore the smell of death from the butcher room was starting to fill the hall. He needed out. Now.

Quatre picked up on Duo's distress and made a command decision. He looked the girl in the eye and said, "I'm going to pick you up. I will do my best not to hurt you, okay?"

Quatre reeled from the fresh wave of terror that crashed over him. He forced himself to ignore it but couldn't ignore the burning hatred that suddenly radiated from the girl. What was that about? Had he done something? As quickly as it came on, the hatred was replaced by a sense of determination and then again by fear. Quatre frowned as he tried to puzzle out the girl's reaction. No…maybe she didn't hate him but…she definitely hated something or someone. It was frustrating. As long as she refused to tell them anything, he couldn't help her. Quashing the girl's onslaught of emotions, Quatre reached out and lifted her off the cold cement floor.

He hated that she weighed barely anything. He hated that she was freezing and going outside wouldn't make her any warmer. He hated that she flinched at his touch. He hated that she was afraid of him. He hated that she didn't trust him. And he hated that someone had done this to her.

He hated she was wearing only threadbare jeans and something that he supposed still qualified as a shirt, though the thin fabric was barely holding together. Not to mention that it was rather filthy. The back was stiff with something dark. The floor in that room was covered in filth. It was probably rat feces. Quatre suppressed a shudder at the thought of something so disgusting getting on his uniform. It would wash and he didn't want to jar her any more than absolutely necessary. He was trying to be gentle with her; she was hurt enough as it was. Maybe once they got her injuries treated she would see that they meant her no harm. Quatre signaled with his head for Duo to lead the way and quickly followed his braided companion out the door.

Duo grumbled about how much time they'd wasted, but Quatre knew he didn't mean it. Deep down, he was just as concerned about the girl as Quatre was. Closer to the surface, however, Duo was still annoyed about the garden and Heero's response. Quatre shook his head, knowing his friend would feel bad later for being so impatient with the girl. Quatre glanced down at the still figure in his arms and hoped they weren't too late.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Do you know what brought it on?" Heero asked.

Trowa leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and dropped his head into his hands. "The attic. Don't…don't go up there. Send the forensics team."

"What's up there?"

"It was horrific…I've never seen anything like it. He…that asshole chopped them into pieces, Heero. I picked a box at random and opened it and it was…Heero it was full of girl's heads. Just their heads. Their eyes and teeth and tongues had been removed. It…oh, God!" Trowa rubbed his hands over his eyes, trying to banish the memory, but to no avail.

Wufei clenched his fists in anger. How could anyone treat women that way? Yes, he accused them of being weak and generally stupid, but that was no reason to decapitate and mutilate them. They had their purposes and not all of them were really that bad and even those that were didn't deserve that.

"I…I didn't open any other boxes so…so I don't know if…if he only kept their heads or not. Don't go up there…and don't let Quatre go upstairs at all. The rooms upstairs were used to assault the girls."

Wufei nodded. "I'll send the forensics team in and make sure Quatre and Duo are told to come straight here when they're done."

Heero nodded his thanks and Wufei left. Turning back to Trowa, Heero asked, "Was that everything you found?"

"When we went upstairs, my team found Decart desecrating a girl's corpse."

Heero scowled. "Is he in custody?"

Trowa shook his head. "I…I took him out. He didn't come quietly and tried to kill my men. I know I shouldn't have but I was so angry I just didn't care."

Heero nodded. "Just be sure you put it into the report so no one can claim that you used excessive force."

Trowa nodded. He was not looking forward to writing this report.

"I want you to wait for Quatre and Duo and ask them to report to me as soon as possible. And then I want you to rest for a while. Clear your mind…relax…whatever you need to do to prevent a more violent flash. We got lucky that you just zoned out for a while this time. I don't want to have to subdue you."

"Understood." Trowa stood and took a deep breath before leaving the tent. They had been lucky. He hadn't thrown anything or tried to fight anyone. It had helped that somewhere his mind knew that both Heero and Wufei were there and he was ultimately safe.

* * *

Wufei gestured for the nearest agent and ordered him to have the head of the forensics team report to him as soon as possible. He knew Quatre and Duo were in the basement and decided to head them off just in case either one of them got curious about the rest of the house.

He was more than a little relieved to see Duo emerge from the house, followed by Quatre.

"Wufei!" Quatre was glad he wouldn't have to search for Wufei. He was their medic and Quatre wanted the girl seen to as soon as possible. Maybe once she was bandaged up and given something to eat she wouldn't be so afraid. The abject terror he'd felt from her as they left the house almost brought him to his knees. No one should ever be that scared.

Wufei's eyes narrowed as Quatre approached. 'Please tell me that's not a dead body,' he silently prayed to no deity in particular. The girl was pitiful at best. Really it would be a miracle if that pile of bones and skin _was_ still alive. Wufei frowned. The girl had to be alive. Even Quatre wouldn't let wishful thinking cloud his judgment and he wouldn't move a body from a crime scene. Wufei closed the gap between them. "Give her to me. Heero wants to see you."

"He can wait. She can't."

"Quatre…" Wufei was tired. He'd already dealt with one dead girl and Trowa's flashback. And it was likely he'd have to help with the horror of the attic. He really didn't want to argue with Quatre today, too.

"Wufei, you didn't see her in there. We almost didn't get her to come out at all."

"Actually, we didn't anyway," Duo interrupted. "Quatre had to grab her and haul her out. She just didn't fight him like we thought she would."

"Duo. Heero is waiting for you and Quatre to report." Trowa had started for the tent as ordered but veered off course as he saw Quatre arguing with Wufei. Duo said something as he approached, but he didn't catch it. What he could see was that both Duo and Quatre were upset about something and Wufei was getting angry.

"Trowa, make Quatre hand her over so he can go give his report," Wufei ordered peevishly as he stepped aside, revealing the limp girl in Quatre's arms. Yes, he knew he sounded like a child, but sometimes the only person Winner would listen to was Barton.

Trowa looked at the girl. 'No…not another one,' he thought. The girl couldn't possibly be alive. He shut his eyes. He just couldn't handle another dead girl today. He opened his eyes and was about to tell Quatre to dump the girl where he stood and let the forensics team handle the body when the girl started shivering.

Quatre held the girl closer to his chest, trying to warm her. He had such a wretched look in his eyes that Trowa could only guess what the girl was feeling.

Trowa swallowed the lump in his throat that formed at the pitiful sight. Did he dare get his hopes up that this girl wasn't as bad off as she looked? "Quatre," he said softly, "give her to me. There's a blanket in the tent and she's freezing."

Quatre looked down at the girl. He didn't know what would happen if he gave her to someone else. She already didn't trust him as it was. He frowned. Trowa was right about her needing to be warmer and they still had to report what they'd found to Heero. And there was the matter of that door leading into the woods from the basement.

Quatre nodded and held the girl out for Trowa to take. He was shocked when the girl seemingly cuddled into Trowa's arms. Was it possible that she had decided to trust them? She was really cold…perhaps Trowa was just warm. At least the feelings she was emoting hadn't intensified so that was good…right?

"Come on, Quat. Let's get this over with," Duo said, pulling Quatre's arm and drawing him out of his reverie. Quatre nodded and, with a last worried look at the girl, turned and followed Duo to Heero's tent.

Trowa followed Wufei to a nearby tent. He walked as carefully as he could, not wanting to frighten or hurt her as she shivered in his arms. Ahead of him, Wufei scowled as he held the flap open for Trowa to take the girl inside. Trowa raised an eyebrow as he realized it was the tent he was slated to share with Wufei and Quatre that night. Sure, there was room for the girl, but he thought it odd that Wufei hadn't insisted on her going into the medi-tent. It didn't matter. What mattered was getting the girl warm before she went hypothermic.

Trowa ducked down to enter the tent and knelt next to a foam pad. He frowned. It wasn't much but it would have to do. He carefully set her down and moved to where his things were stashed. He pulled out a plush blanket. It was fairly new and still very soft. Satisfied that it would keep the girl warm, Trowa gently tucked it around the girl, who looked up in alarm at his touch.

Careful to keep his face neutral, Trowa made sure she was well wrapped in the blanket. Inside, he was seething. No one had ever looked at him with that much fear in their eyes. Even when he was piloting Heavy Arms, no one had looked at him that way. This slip of a girl shouldn't have had to be afraid of him. Once wrapped in the blanket, the girl curled into a tight ball. Trowa frowned. Her leg bent funny. He made a mental note to mention it to Wufei.

"Did we catch the bastard?" Wufei asked.

"Yeah. I'm glad I got to plug him now that I can see some of his work." Trowa moved away from the girl and closer to Wufei on the other side of the tent. He watched to see if she relaxed and sighed when she didn't. "Not that it's a problem, but why didn't we take her to the medi-tent?"

Wufei glanced at the girl. "That's where they put the girl you found earlier. We weren't expecting any survivors after that so…I just didn't want her to see."

Trowa nodded slowly. "Maybe if we'd gotten here sooner the other girl would have made it."

Wufei nodded. "Possibly. That girl wasn't nearly as bad off as this one. Even similar cases didn't leave victims that looked like her. She's definitely the worst off of any_ I've_ seen. I can't believe the Preventers didn't pick up this case sooner."

"I know, Wufei, but human trafficking is not as pressing as some of the other cases they've had lately."

Wufei snorted. "Oh yeah," he drawled. "Stolen puppies are such an emergency. What will we investigate next? A butler that tries to off his mistress' cats?"

Trowa rolled his eyes. "In all fairness, the rumor was a gun smuggling ring with a threat to start another war, remember?"

Wufei grunted and grabbed his camera and first aid kit from his pack. Might as well get this over with. He would need to thoroughly document the girl's injuries for his report and then treat what he could. They'd have to wait until they got her back to base to check for less obvious broken bones, internal damage or any diseases she might be carrying. He moved to the girl and carefully touched her shoulder to alert her of his presence. He repressed the urge to curse when she flinched.

"Quatre wasn't kidding about her needing to be seen immediately," Wufei muttered. "Duo said they had to grab her because she wouldn't come willingly."

"Wouldn't or_ couldn't_?" Trowa asked. "I think there's something wrong with her leg."

Wufei shrugged and leaned over the girl. He slowly pulled back the blanket so he could see her face. She kept her eyes scrunched shut and stayed curled up. Her breathing was slightly erratic. "I'm not going to hurt you. But I do need to see where you're hurt. We need to document your injuries and treat them."

The girl didn't move. If anything she seemed more upset than before. Wufei scowled as the girl started trembling.

"Wufei, maybe we should give her a bit of time. Look at her, she's terrified. Maybe we can try again in an hour to let her adjust to this new situation?"

"Hmm. You may be right, Trowa." Wufei slipped the blanket back over the girl. Let her stay in her little cocoon if it made her feel safer for the time being. It might just get her to cooperate later.

"Do you think she'll be okay in here…with us? I mean…after what I saw inside I can't imagine that being surrounded by strange men is going to be at all comfortable for her." Trowa said, keeping his voice quiet so as not to alarm the girl.

"She doesn't have much choice, does she?" Wufei countered. "She must be guarded until we can get to the bottom of this. It isn't safe for her even if you did get the louse responsible for this. I refuse to put her in the same tent as the dead girl. I can't imagine how traumatic that would be for her in the state she's in. Normally I would have stayed in the medi-tent with her, so it makes just as much sense to have her here instead."

"You don't think it will upset her to be in a tent with three strange men?"

"Of course it will," Wufei spat. "But we don't have any female operatives with us, do we? Our men are not trained to attend her should her health decline tonight. And given Duo's state of mind, I don't dare let her stay with him and Heero."

"Yeah…he was probably going to try and stay with us tonight. Not that I blame him. I don't fancy sharing a tent with Heero when he's in one of his moods."

"Well, Duo's just going to have to get over whatever tiff he's having with Heero and suck it up. I'm hoping that having Quatre nearby will set her at ease. He _is_ the one that rescued her so perhaps she'll form an attachment to him that will allow him to get information from her."

"And what if she's still too afraid of us to talk?"

Wufei sighed. He hadn't been blind to the girl's alarm. "Well then maybe Quatre can use his empathy to figure out how to reach her."

"Sometimes I wonder if we don't put too much pressure on Quatre's empathy."

Wufei shrugged. "He hasn't said so."

Trowa looked at the girl. Her breathing had evened out. "At least she's sleeping for the time being."

"Good." Wufei moved back over to her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to examine her while she's asleep."

"That's not a good idea. What if she wakes up? You'll completely freak her out."

"I have to look her over anyway, whether she likes it or not. Sally will need a report on what to have ready when we bring her in tomorrow," Wufei snapped.

The girl shifted in her sleep, a troubled expression crossing her features.

"At least wait until she's into a deeper REM cycle so you have less chance of waking her up."

"And just how do you suggest I time that?"

Trowa shrugged. "Quatre should be back soon. He might be able to tell when she's about to wake up."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "Fine. But who's putting pressure on Quatre's empathy now?"

Trowa ignored the comment. "I need to check in with my men."

Wufei nodded. "I'll stay here with the girl. If you see the forensics lead send him to me."

Trowa nodded and headed out of the tent. He was supposed to be resting, but he could do that after he checked on Jameson.

"Sir! Have you seen Agent Chang?"

Trowa nodded to the agent approaching him. "He's waiting for you in that tent. Be sure to announce your presence instead of barging in."

Agent Walters, head of the forensics team, nodded. Everyone knew better than to startle Agents Chang, Barton, Yuy, Maxwell and Winner. They were younger than most agents, but their sparring sessions were legendary. During their first year at Preventer, the older agents intentionally set the cockiest new recruits against them just to put them in their places. There were rumors about them being the Gundam pilots during the Eve Wars but the only one that was verified was Maxwell, being as he'd been caught by Oz at one point and had his face displayed for the universe to see. Rumors aside, most Preventer agents were former soldiers so it was considered common courtesy among agents not to startle anyone, just in case.

Trowa took his leave of the older agent and headed back into the house to get a report from his team. Lieberman was at the top of the stairs talking with Jameson. Cooper was still in position at the foot of the staircase that led to the attic. Trowa kept his expression neutral as he gathered his men together.

"Anything to report?" he asked.

"Sir, Agent Chang had his men remove the girl. The perpetrator is where you left him. No other suspects or victims were located," Lieberman reported.

"Good. Cooper?"

"No one has attempted to enter the attic, sir."

"Agent Chang should be sending the forensics team any time. I'd like you to stay at your post until they arrive, at which time your shift is over until 0800 tomorrow morning."

Cooper nodded and went back over to the stairs.

"Jameson, did you sustain any damage earlier?"

Jameson shook his head. "Couple of bruises, I'm sure but nothing to get worried about."

Trowa nodded. He'd suspected as much. "If you feel like you need to be checked out, do so. Otherwise you and Lieberman are off duty until 0800. There's a mess tent so be sure to get something to eat. And if Cooper doesn't join you in the next half hour or so please alert me so he can be relieved as well."

The two agents saluted and headed down the stairs. Trowa did a quick once over on the rooms, just to make sure nothing important was missed. Once he'd checked all the rooms he stopped once again at the first room, the one with the weird stain in the carpet. He was fairly certain it was blood now that he examined it closer. He looked again in the closet.

"These couldn't all be hers, could they?" he murmured to himself. The clothes in the closet were actually of better quality than what the girl had been wearing. Most of it was newer. Maybe he should grab her warmer clothes to wear. Trowa frowned. The clothes were not all the same sizes. The size range was too wide to be a simple difference in brand. Trowa had no idea which size would fit the girl. Maybe it was for the better. This may just have been where the cad stored the clothes he took from his victims. If that was the case, there was a chance some of these clothes still had traces of DNA that would need to be identified. But the bed wasn't made. Surely someone had used the room, though Trowa had no idea if it was used for the same activities as the other, larger rooms on this floor. Whose blood was in the carpet? How long had it been there?

The unanswered questions were frustrating him. Maybe he shouldn't have killed the asswad, but Trowa didn't care. People like that had no business being alive. He stalked out of the room and headed down the stairs, meeting the forensics team halfway down.

"Agent Walters, did Agent Chang warn you what you would find?"

"Yes, Sir. We'll actually be transferring the boxes to the lab at Headquarters instead of opening them here. Agent Chang felt it might be a good idea for us to have access to mental health services for this particular case."

Trowa nodded. "Good. Be warned, I left a box open up there and it isn't pretty." Agent Walters nodded. "And when you head up, please tell Cooper he is free for the evening."

"Yes, Sir." Agent Walters gave Trowa a quick salute and motioned for his team to follow him.

* * *

"I'll send a patrol into the woods to see if we can find anything," Heero said after Quatre and Duo reported their findings from the basement. "As far as the girl goes I'll speak to Colonel Une about her. Once she gives us her statement we'll have to find where she belongs. I'm sure her parents will be pleased to have her back."

"So what do we do with her until then?" Duo asked.

"Leave it to Chang. He's supposed to be covering the medi-tent. I'm sure he can handle her."

"Come on, Quat. Let's get some chow." Duo stood and started for the tent entrance.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Duo glared at Heero. "I just said. I'm hungry. I'm gettin' food."

"I didn't dismiss you. Quatre, you can go."

"If Quat's goin' I'm goin'."

"SIT MAXWELL! I'm not done with you yet."

"WELL I'M DONE WITH YOU!"

"Duo…" Both Heero and Duo looked at Quatre, surprised that he'd spoken up. "Duo, I think you should hear Heero out. He has something to tell you. I'm going to check on the girl and see if Wufei needs to get some food. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

Duo huffed and crossed his arms, glaring expectantly at Heero.

Quatre shot Heero a shrug and slipped out the tent flap.

"So? Say what you're gonna say so I can get some food."

Heero stepped closer and reached a hand out to touch Duo's arm, but Duo pulled back. Heero dropped his hand and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"What was that?"

Heero looked Duo in the eyes. "I said I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry with you earlier. Tripping wasn't your fault."

Duo quit glaring and dropped his arms. "Yeah…well…I really hate it when you jump all over me like that."

"Well what if I jump all over you in a way you like?"

Duo snorted. "Like you know what I like."

Heero closed the gap between them and put his arms around Duo's waist, pulling his partner's body flush with his own. "I think I do."

Duo groaned. After six years of being together, Heero _definitely_ knew what Duo liked. "Anybody'd have to be insane not to like _that_."

Heero grinned and gave his boyfriend a kiss. "So am I forgiven?"

Duo kissed Heero back and pushed him towards the cot. "Maybe."

The two fell on the cot in a heap and kissed lazily.

"I thought you were hungry," Heero teased.

Duo grew predatory. "I am…but you taste better."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After sending Agent Walters in to take care of the attic, Wufei watched the girl sleep fitfully for a moment before deciding to get his bedroll set up for the night. He had already decided that he would examine the girl as soon as Quatre showed up. While it would be ideal if she stayed asleep, he hoped if she _did_ wake, Quatre would be able to keep her calm.

Wufei started at a noise just outside the tent and instinctively went for his gun.

"Wufei? It's me…can I come in?"

Wufei put his gun away. "Yeah, Quatre."

Quatre unzipped the tent and peeked in. "I checked the medi-tent but you weren't there."

"Oh, Quatre…I'm sorry. I…"

"It's okay," Quatre quickly assured him. "It isn't like it's the first time I've seen a body."

"Well I wish someone would have warned you first."

Quatre shrugged. "Nothing to be done about it now. Who found the other girl?"

"Trowa. He said that you shouldn't go to the upper levels of the house. Apparently that's where the girls were assaulted and…and where the other bodies are." Wufei hated the sad expression that settled on Quatre's features.

"H-how…how's the girl doing?" Quatre asked, attempting to distract himself. He had learned during the wars to value life…they all had. It made him sad that anyone would be able to throw even one away, let alone more than one.

"She's about the same. Terrified, but too exhausted to stay awake. I need to look her over. I thought it might be better to check her while she was asleep. Trowa suggested that maybe you would be able to tell when she was about to wake up."

"I…I don't know. I might be able to." Quatre wasn't always sure what he could and couldn't do with his empathy until situations like this one arose. He would certainly try to tell when she was waking up if it would spare her pain or embarrassment.

Wufei nodded. "We weren't sure if it worked that way. But I also figured that if you were here maybe it wouldn't freak her out as much."

Quatre nodded. "Do you need help?"

"That would be great. I need to document her injuries and then let Sally know what to expect. I called her earlier and she asked me to do an initial check. However…I think I'll only document what we can see without removing her clothing. I don't want to upset her if I can avoid it."

The girl shifted in her sleep, a look of discomfort on her features as she settled.

"I think she will appreciate that. Where do you want to start?"

"Trowa thought her leg was injured. I think if we photograph her face and arms and then I can check her legs. Her jeans are loose enough I can just push the legs up."

"Sounds good. What would you like me to do?"

"First light the lantern. It's getting dark. Do you think you can pull the blanket off of her without waking her up?" Wufei asked as he got his camera ready. "If we see anything that needs immediate attention I'll fix it, but from what I saw earlier it was mostly bruising."

Quatre nodded and lit the lantern. "Ready?"

Wufei nodded and Quatre carefully pulled the blanket from the girl. She had uncurled and was now on her back, with her right leg out straight and her left bent slightly. She had the blanket clenched in her fist. Quatre didn't even attempt to take the blanket from her. She obviously needed the security. Wufei quickly set to work with his camera, zooming in on a number of the bruises and several small lacerations. Once he was satisfied he set down the camera and moved to her leg.

"Can you tell if she's waking up?"

"I don't think she is."

"Is she getting too cold?"

"I don't think so. But you should hurry, just in case."

"Wufei…I'm coming in," Trowa's voice reached them from outside the tent before the flap was unzipped.

"Hurry, before you let in too much of the night air," Wufei ordered as he started to push the girl's pant leg up. Her right leg was covered in bruises, which Wufei quickly documented as Trowa entered and closed up the tent again.

"Did either of you eat?" Trowa asked as he set about getting his bedroll.

"Not yet. I wanted to get this done before it got any later," Wufei answered, pulling the pant leg down and pushing up the other one.

Quatre gasped as the girl's knee came into view. "No wonder she didn't try to get up." The girl's knee was dislocated and swollen to the size of a softball. "Can you fix it, Wufei?"

"I think so. It's going to wake her up, though."

"But if it's in place it won't hurt as much, will it?" Quatre pressed.

"No…it shouldn't hurt as much. If I hurry maybe I can do it before the pain registers."

Wufei carefully picked up the girl's ankle but before he could do anything, she kicked him with her right leg.

"Shit!" He hadn't realized she'd woken up. "Quatre, hold her right leg still. I can't do this while she's flailing about."

The girl responded by curling into a ball…well as much of one as she could manage. Her left leg bent at an odd angle.

"Shhhh…it's okay," Quatre soothed. "Your knee is dislocated, we're just trying to set it, but we can't unless you relax."

The girl didn't relax. She stayed right where she was. Quatre shut his eyes against the onslaught of fear exuding from the girl. He wished he could get her to understand that she was safe now.

"Trowa, see if you can talk sense into this onna." Wufei snapped. He was frustrated with this whole situation. Yes, he had wanted them to find something but he didn't think anything they found would be this bad. He expected any girls they found to be afraid but he also thought they'd have sense enough to know that the Preventers were there to help them. He figured they'd be grateful, not too terrified to function.

"Wufei, your tone is not helping," Trowa gently reprimanded. He understood Wufei's frustration, but giving in to the irritation would only make matters worse. The girl reminded him of a lion that the circus had acquired a few years back. It, too, had been abused and starved. It lashed out from fear and was about to be put down. Trowa had convinced the Manager to let him try to train the lion anyway. It had taken a lot of work over several months, but Trowa had done it. The lion was now one of the circus' top acts. Maybe the same sort of thing would work on the girl. He leaned close to her so he could speak softly. "Come on, now, we're just trying to help you." The girl shook her head, her body tense and trembling. "Would it help if I let you hold onto me? You can squeeze my hand as tight as you need to."

The girl shook her head again. Quatre thought it was an improvement that the girl was actually responding to Trowa's questions.

"Oh for the love of—! Trowa, hold her. I don't care if she doesn't want you to; this needs to be set before she does any more damage to it," Wufei ordered. Enough was enough. The girl could be scared of them later. Wufei wasn't sure how extensive the damage already was, but with any luck he could get it set before it was damaged enough to require surgery.

Trowa almost refused, but decided that Wufei was right. He didn't want her hurt any more than she already was. And if she hated him for it, maybe they could still get her to talk to Quatre. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and felt her stiffen.

"I won't hurt you," he whispered. He carefully lifted her and sat her between his legs, holding her against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pinning hers down so she couldn't strike out at him. He gritted his teeth as she struggled against his hold. He didn't want her to escape, but he didn't want to hold her tight enough to hurt her, either. She was persistent, he'd give her that. She pulled every way she could trying to break his hold. Fortunately, she didn't have the strength or the stamina to struggle for very long before going limp. Trowa could feel her panting as he held her.

Quatre bit his lip as he debated whether to call this off or not. It was obvious the girl didn't want Trowa to hold her, but she wouldn't hold still long enough for Wufei to fix her leg. Really, it should only take a second to fix and then they'd leave her alone again.

"Quatre…her leg?" Wufei reminded him, derailing his train of thought.

Quatre nodded and carefully but firmly held the girl's right leg down so she couldn't kick Wufei again. He watched her face to see if he was hurting her. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Wufei and then at him. Quatre felt bad. She was still scared of them and he was picking up on pain as well as her fear. He didn't dare let her go until Wufei was done with her, though. She scrunched her eyes shut again and seemed to brace herself for what was coming.

Wufei picked up her ankle and quickly popped the knee back in, expecting the girl to scream. She didn't. Wufei looked at the girl in surprise and watched as she arched her back against Trowa and grabbed his arm, her face showing the pain she didn't verbalize.

Trowa held her as tightly as he dared as she started trembling. He silently cursed. She was going into shock. They'd have to elevate her feet and get her warm.

"Don't let her go," Quatre told him softly. "Keep her grounded." He felt bad telling Trowa to keep holding her when it was obvious she wanted them to let her go. He was afraid if she didn't have something to ground her, they'd lose her.

Trowa nodded and held her, feeling her nails dig into his arm. He didn't mind. He probably deserved it. She was gasping and her breathing was labored and erratic.

"Shhhh…it's okay," Trowa whispered, trying to calm her down as Wufei started splinting the girl's leg, impairing movement and decreasing the likelihood of it being dislocated again.

Quatre, sensing the fight leaving the girl, decided to let her leg go. Trowa felt her go limp and carefully moved from behind her and set her down, mindful that Wufei was still working on her leg.

"Oh Allah, Trowa! What happened to you?"

Trowa looked at Quatre's stricken face and then down at his chest, where the blonde's eyes were glued in horror. The front of his shirt was drenched in blood. Where had that come from? He hadn't been injured.

"This blood isn't mine," he assured his concerned friend. "I don't know where—" He broke off as he realized where it had to have come from. The stain on the wall and the carpeting upstairs came to mind as he carefully moved the girl onto her side. For once, the girl didn't bother to fight his touch. "Oh my God. Wufei, get the kit."

The girl's shirt was dripping blood. Quatre helped Trowa to move the limp girl onto her stomach.

"Move," Wufei ordered, brandishing a pair of scissors. He carefully cut up the side of her shirt, just outside the area soaked in blood. The girl squirmed as he pulled it away from her flesh.

"Allah…How could anyone do this?" Quatre asked mournfully.

The girl's back was a mess. Broken scabs in various stages of healing oozed blood and puss that mixed with dirt and small bits of rock. Trowa shook his head. The scabs had broken open because he hadn't let her go. It was his fault.

Quatre wondered that he and Duo hadn't noticed any blood when they found her. He frowned. The room hadn't exactly been well lit and Duo had rushed them, but still…he reprimanded himself for being so oblivious.

"Hold her still. This needs to be cleaned," Wufei instructed tersely as he put the camera away. He'd gotten enough pictures to turn anyone's stomach. His mind was racing with ways he'd like to torture the bastard that did this. Chinese Water Torture was too good for anyone who would treat a helpless girl this way.

Trowa held the girl's left shoulder gently but firmly as Quatre tentatively touched her right shoulder. He hissed at the stab of pain that went through him.

"Quatre…are you okay?"

"Yeah, Trowa…she's just in a lot of pain," Quatre explained quietly. He didn't want to hurt her further.

"I need you to hold her, Quatre. The sooner I get this cleaned the sooner we can leave her alone."

"O-okay, Wufei." Quatre steeled himself as he held the girl's shoulder a bit more firmly.

Wufei ran a wet cloth over the girl's back. She tried to shy away from his touch, making it difficult for Wufei to thoroughly clean her injuries. He didn't blame her, it looked painful, but it was irritating him.

"Quit moving…it only makes it worse," Wufei ordered. He cursed as she immediately stiffened and started trembling. He didn't mean to scare her more, just get her hold still. He cursed the man who did this to her, especially since it was infected. That would definitely affect the healing time and given the girl's physical state, it would add a lot. "Hold her tight, I need to put an antibiotic on this and it's probably going to sting."

Trowa added a little more pressure to the girl's shoulder as Wufei straddled her legs and sat on them to keep her from moving. He was careful just to let enough of his weight settle to hold her in place so he wouldn't hurt her.

"Quatre…you need to hold her down."

Quatre closed his eyes and nodded. He added a little more pressure to the girl's shoulder and bit his lip as he paled. She was in so much pain he wasn't sure how she was able to handle it.

Wufei, noting Quatre's expression, quickly spread the antibiotic cream on a clean cloth and applied it as quickly as he could. The girl squirmed, trying to get away from his touch, but he kept at it. He had to get the medicine on this wound. The girl suddenly stopped squirming and let out an ear-splitting scream of pain and anguish.

Wufei refrained from yelling at her. It wasn't her fault she was hurt and he knew that he was adding to it. Instead he finished as quickly as he could.

"Okay, you can let her go! Just don't let her turn onto her back!" Wufei yelled above the din.

Trowa let go and gently rubbed the girl's arm, trying to comfort her and get her to stop screaming. Quatre let go and scuttled away from the girl, breathing heavily and trying not to pass out. He looked at Trowa, who seemed to be succeeding in getting the girl to calm because her scream died out and tears replaced it. Her whole body shook with sobs as Trowa tried in vain to tell her everything was okay.

Quatre was sure there was no way she'd trust them now. They'd hurt her after he promised that they wouldn't. He felt miserable as he watched tears flow down her cheeks, leaving tracks in the dirt. He wondered if it wouldn't have been kinder for her to have died.

Wufei was cursing under his breath as he dug in his pack for sterile bandages. Somehow they'd gotten moved from where he thought they were. He wanted to get this done so the girl could relax…well, relax as much as it was going to be possible for her to manage anyway. He wondered if he had a sedative he could give her but pushed the thought away as he decided it was better not to risk an accidental overdose. Besides, her body might not be able to process it in her current condition.

Trowa, Quatre and Wufei all jumped at the sound of the tent zipper.

"What the HELL are you doing to her?" Duo demanded. Then he saw the girl. "Ho-ly Shit. Heero needs to see this." Duo set off at a sprint to get Heero.

Quatre fought against tears as the desire for death washed over him. The stubborn determination that had kept the girl from breaking down before was gone, replaced by complete surrender to the pain that engulfed her.

"Quatre, are you alright?"

Quatre nodded. "I'll be okay, Trowa."

"Are you sure?" Trowa didn't like how pale Quatre was, which was saying something given the blonde's fair skin.

"Y-yeah…she's just in a lot of pain and honestly, I'm not sure how she's still conscious."

Wufei shook his head. "If you need to leave for a while, it's okay."

"No…no…I'm going to stay. I promised her that…that she'd be safe and I don't want to leave her."

Wufei grunted. "Suit yourself."

"What's going on?" Heero demanded as he ducked into the tent. Duo stayed out of the tent but poked his head in so he could hear what was going on. "Trowa, why is your shirt covered in blood?"

"It isn't mine, Heero. It's hers."

Heero looked at the girl and swore. "What happened to her?"

"We don't know," Quatre answered. He looked at Duo. "But this explains why she didn't want us touching her."

Duo felt bad for being upset with her. She probably hadn't been difficult on purpose. He looked down in shame. He'd try to make it up to her later. Maybe once she wasn't in pain she'd be willing to forgive his poor behavior.

"Did you document this, Wufei?"

"Of course," the Chinese man snapped. He wasn't an idiot. He knew protocol and the girl's condition was considered evidence. "Just tell me, Heero, did you really kill the bastard?"

"We're awaiting DNA confirmation that it really is him, but we're almost 100% positive."

"Good. Because if you hadn't I'd have to strangle him with my bare hands. This is reprehensible. She needs medical attention as soon as we can get it. My training isn't enough."

Heero ran a hand through his hair. "We can't extract her until morning. Will you be able to keep her pain under control until then?"

Wufei crossed his arms. "Given the extent of her injuries, I doubt that we have anything that will keep her pain under control. However, I will do what I can."

Heero grimaced, but nodded. "I wish Sally had been sent with us. This girl needs to be checked thoroughly but I highly doubt she'll let you do it."

"I know, Heero. I've already sent word ahead to Sally about her."

"Have you identified the girl?"

Wufei shook his head. "No. The only sound she's made was that scream. Even when I set her leg, she didn't make a sound."

Heero ran a hand over his face and swore again. "See if you can get her to talk. We'll need to get her statement as soon as possible to prosecute the surviving members of the trafficking ring."

Heero stepped out of the tent and Wufei closed it up again. "Let's get her bandaged up and then we'll get some food. Maybe that will entice her to talk." Wufei placed the first strip of cloth on her back and shook his head as she flinched again. Trowa silently passed him supplies and between the two of them her back was bandaged in a matter of minutes. Quatre carefully placed the blanket over her. Even though the tent was fairly warm, the night was rapidly cooling and Quatre thought she might be more comfortable if she was a little less exposed. She was only wearing jeans at this point.

"Should we give her a shirt to wear?" Quatre asked softly as the girl started to settle.

"I don't think so," Wufei answered. "It might hurt her to move her arms enough to get the shirt on and they'll likely just cut it off once we get her to Sally tomorrow. That blanket looks warm enough to suffice for tonight."

"I'm going to get some food. Do you want any?" Trowa asked as he crawled for the tent flap.

Wufei nodded and Quatre hesitated for a second before nodding as well.

"See if there's a protein shake or soup for the girl. We don't know when she was allowed to eat last. I don't want to make her sick on top of everything else," Wufei said.

Trowa nodded and headed for the mess tent.

Quatre watched the girl for a minute, unsure if he ought to try and talk to her right now or not.

"Quatre, why don't you get your bedroll set up?"

Quatre looked at the far side of the tent where his things were waiting for him. With the way things were currently laid out, Quatre was against the side of the tent with Wufei next to him, then the girl and then Trowa on this side.

"Should I switch places with Trowa?"

"Hm?" Wufei glanced at the placement in the tent. "No," he said slowly. "Actually, I think it would be better if you weren't near enough to touch the girl tonight. Don't look at me like that. You already look exhausted and if you roll over and touch her in your sleep whatever she's feeling will likely wake you up. I need you capable tomorrow when we transport her. I expect she'll be more awake and since you technically saved her I'm hoping that she'll trust you enough to be cooperative."

Quatre sighed. "I don't know about that, Wufei. I've never felt so much fear and wariness in anyone before. She's so terrified I don't even know a word to describe it. I mean…she's been abused mentally and emotionally as well as physically. It's so disheartening to feel the depths of her distrust. I just…feel so inadequate to help her."

Wufei sighed. "Well maybe things will be better in the morning when she realizes we haven't actually hurt her and we're not going to."

Quatre nodded and set about getting his sleeping bag set up. He was just finishing when Trowa came back.

"Not much of a selection tonight, I'm afraid," Trowa said, handing Wufei and Quatre each a sandwich, a bottle of water and an apple. "The only thing they had that I thought wouldn't make her sick was some yogurt."

"That should be fine for now," Wufei said, taking the cup of yogurt from Trowa and moving slowly towards the girl. He didn't want to startle her. "We have some food if you want it," he said softly, careful not to let his tone make her think he was angry. He knew he came off that way sometimes and had promised Sally that he would work on it. Now seemed like a good time to be conscious of it. He shook his head and sat back on his sleeping bag. "I'm not going to wake her. She can eat in the morning." He tossed Quatre the yogurt. "You like huckleberry, don't you?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What's wrong, Duo?"

"Nothing."

Heero frowned. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his arm as he looked at his partner. Duo was lying on his back with his hands under his head as he stared at the ceiling of their tent. Heero hadn't missed how distracted Duo had been when they left the others. Since they were technically on duty they hadn't done anything more than a little making out when they reached the privacy of their own tent, but Heero knew something was bothering Duo, regardless of what he said.

"You're distracted."

"I am not," Duo insisted.

Heero sighed. "Duo…I know you. What's bothering you?"

Duo didn't answer right away. Heero was about to let it drop when Duo said quietly, "I was so mean to her."

Heero frowned, but didn't say anything, knowing that Duo would elaborate if he felt like it.

"I was mean to her because…because at first I thought she was dead an' Quat had to convince me she wasn't. And then when she didn't come with us…I thought she was just being a pain. I mean, Quat said she was scared of us but…I didn't know she was hurt, too. I mean, I knew about the bruises but not her back. I thought…" Duo sighed. "I was just being an ass."

Duo rolled onto his side with his back to Heero. He didn't know how he was going to make it up to the girl. She probably hated him now and with good reason.

Heero slid over and wrapped an arm around his lover, nuzzling his nose into Duo's neck. "It'll be okay. You'll find a way to apologize, I'm sure."

"You don't get it, 'Ro. I actually _yelled_ at her for not jumping up and coming with us. I'm no better than the dick that beat her."

"Duo…don't think that. It was partly my fault. If I hadn't yelled at you, you wouldn't have been in such a bad mood to begin with. And I never want to hear you compare yourself to that asshole again. You couldn't be like that if you tried. You're too good for that."

Duo let himself smile as his boyfriend spooned him. "Love you 'Ro."

"I love you, too, Duo. Try to get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Duo snuggled into Heero's arms and let himself sleep.

* * *

Trowa stared into the darkness. His eyes had adjusted hours ago, but there wasn't much to look at in the tent. He should be asleep. Quatre and Wufei had fallen asleep about two hours ago but Trowa just couldn't manage it. After the day he'd had he should have been exhausted. He let his mind wander, trying to figure out what was keeping him awake, and his thoughts turned to the girl.

She was still asleep, though she wasn't sleeping peacefully. She kept shifting. Trowa figured her body was trying to get comfortable and between the bandages on her back and the make-shift splint on her leg, he understood why she was unsuccessful. He watched her roll onto her side with her back to him. The blanket slid off of her as she moved and he silently covered her back up.

He lay back and put his arms under his head as he stared at the ceiling. He wondered if she would be willing to talk to them in the morning. He didn't need Quatre to tell him that she was terrified of them. It made him wonder how long she'd been a prisoner here.

The girl shifted again, this time trying to move onto her back, but she bumped into Trowa instead. Her body went rigid and she let out a pained hiss.

Trowa rolled onto his side and whispered, "Shhhh…relax. It won't hurt as much."

Trowa watched as she curled up, her erratic breathing giving away her terror in the darkness. Trowa frowned. Had he done something? Was she afraid of the dark or maybe just being in the dark with him? Trowa sat up and reached into his pack for a flashlight. He aimed it at the ground as he turned it on so as not to accidentally blind her. He waited a second for his eyes to adjust. She stayed in her trembling ball of fear.

"Hey, it's okay," Trowa whispered. "You're safe now. No one will hurt you but if you're not careful, you'll undo your bandages."

The girl didn't respond and Trowa didn't push it. He wanted her to know she was safe and trying to force her to trust him would backfire. He watched as she slowly uncurled, but didn't relax.

Trowa decided to try again. Leaning close to her he whispered, "You can sleep. I promise you'll be safe."

The girl jumped and, faster than Trowa thought was possible for her, she rolled onto her stomach and forced herself to stand up. Trowa could tell it was painful for her and she almost lost her balance as she wrapped the blanket securely around her naked torso. She eyed him warily. He silently berated himself. He should have known she would be jumpy.

Trowa sat up slowly and adjusted the flashlight so that they could see each other better, but was careful not to blind her. He wondered if Quatre would pick up on her fear in his sleep and glanced to the other side of the tent. Neither former pilot had moved a muscle, so he felt confident that they were still asleep. A glance at the girl's face as she followed his gaze confirmed his suspicion that she was afraid of waking them up. She started to shake and her lip quivered slightly as she looked back at Trowa. He was careful to keep his expression neutral as he climbed out of his sleeping bag.

"Use my sleeping bag. It's warmer." He reached out and gently touched her arm, not reacting when she flinched. He waited a second before reaching out again and touching her elbow. He enjoyed a silent victory as she didn't flinch this time. "You'll be warmer inside the bag," he insisted gently as he put a small amount of pressure on her elbow, guiding her towards his sleeping bag.

The girl slowly responded and took the few steps to his bag. She slowly sank to the ground, her eyes never leaving him as if afraid he would try something as soon as her back was turned. Trowa made sure to zip her up inside the bag before reaching for the blanket that was still wrapped around her shoulders. It was a bit chilly and he didn't have another spare blanket. He made a show of wrapping himself into the blanket and turning his back to her so she would know he wasn't going to bother her. He didn't sleep right away but listened with satisfaction as her breathing evened out and she slept peacefully. After an hour of absolute silence in the tent, Trowa was finally able to relax and drift into a light slumber.

* * *

It was just before dawn when Trowa woke up. Something was off. He sat up and looked around the tent for the source of the noise that woke him. The girl's teeth were chattering as she shivered. He checked the sleeping bag. She was securely zipped inside of it.

He swore and moved to the other side of the tent where he shook Wufei awake. Trowa blocked the punch thrown his way.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Barton?" Wufei demanded as he flopped back onto his pillow.

Trowa knew waking any of the other pilots that way wasn't wise, but the girl needed to be seen to. "The girl is sick."

It took Wufei a moment for Trowa's words to register. "Damn. Wake Quatre, will you? Preferably not the same way you woke me. And then could you go get Heero? We need to discuss a course of action."

Trowa moved to wake the blonde as Wufei got up and went over to the girl. He knelt next to her and tentatively put a hand on her forehead.

"She's burning up," Wufei told Trowa quietly as he sat behind the Chinese pilot putting on his shoes.

Quatre frowned and looked at Trowa. "Just how did she end up in your sleeping bag, Trowa?"

"I heard her wake up and she was cold, so I switched her."

Quatre shrugged and went back to his side of the tent to pull on his shoes. He could feel the girl was awake. He wasn't sure what they were going to do. The plan had been to get her some breakfast and see if she would talk. Instead, she was sick and Wufei was worried even though he was trying to hide it.

Trowa slipped out of the tent and went to find Heero. He made his presence known and Duo stuck his head out of the tent.

"What's up, Trowa?"

"The girl is sick. Wufei wants to discuss it with Heero but he can't leave the girl. Can you tell him?"

"Sure thing. We'll be over in a minute."

Trowa nodded his thanks and returned to his own tent.

* * *

"What was that about?" Heero asked as he pulled on a shirt.

"That girl Quat and I found is sick. 'Fei wants to talk to you but can't leave her."

Heero swore. She was their only lead on this place. They needed her alive. He silently berated himself as he put on his shoes. He should want her alive for more than just because she was a witness. He damned all those years of conditioning that kept resurfacing at the most inopportune times. He was getting better but sometimes Dr. J's training still trumped everything else. It was rather infuriating sometimes, but Duo at least understood and was patient with him.

"You okay?" Duo asked as he finished rebraiding his hair and started putting on his shoes.

Heero grunted. "I'll be better when we get the girl's statement. The sooner she talks the sooner we can put her into protective custody and get this whole thing cleared up."

Duo frowned. "If only it was gonna be that easy."

"Trowa told me he killed Decart yesterday."

Duo snapped his head up and stared at Heero. "No shit? The guy running the ring?"

Heero nodded. "That's what Trowa said. At least…"

"You don't think that's who he really was."

Heero shook his head. "Decart is too smart to let someone catch him with a victim…and a dead one at that. I think the guy told Trowa he was Decart as a decoy. He was probably expecting to either intimidate Trowa or get special treatment. Instead, he pissed Trowa off and got himself shot."

"That's why you insisted on the DNA scan."

Heero nodded. "That's why. But I think the girl will be able to identify Decart…and if not Decart, then whichever one of his lackeys was running this particular house."

Duo frowned. "So you think there's more than one house?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I can't find where the video feed is being kept. I can't tap into it without being noticed and the mainframe isn't at this location, which suggests this is just an offshoot branch. It might even be just a decoy to keep us off the right track. I'll need to go over everything again once we get back to base to make sure we didn't miss something important."

Duo stood. "Right. Well, let's see what we need to do to keep the kid alive."

Heero stood and led the way out of the tent.

There were few agents out and about at this hour. The ones that were awake were about to finish their shifts and they snapped to attention as Heero and Duo passed.

When they got to the tent, Heero opened the flap while Duo elected to stay behind him, rather than get in the way. Wufei and Quatre were kneeling on one side of the girl, while Trowa sat on the other, leaning casually on his pack.

Heero decided to cut to the chase. "Has she talked yet?"

"No. And she's gotten worse. When can we leave?" Wufei didn't like how much effort the girl had to put into breathing. She needed Sally's expertise.

"We move out in an hour." That was the earliest Heero could arrange for transportation for the girl and assign other agents to keep gathering the required evidence from the house. He already planned to call Colonel Une and get another team out to take over out here so he could try to pin down Decart for real.

Wufei muttered to himself in Chinese as Heero and Duo left.

Quatre sighed and placed the blanket over the girl, hoping it would help.

"I need to check her back. Her shivering may have loosened some of her bandages."

Quatre frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea right now, Wufei? Shouldn't we make sure she stays warm?"

"Those bandages are the only thing keeping her back from being rubbed raw right now Quatre. She'll need them to be secure for the trip back to base," Wufei pointed out.

"How can we help?" Trowa asked.

Wufei took the blanket and unzipped the sleeping bag. "Roll her onto her stomach and hold her carefully. We don't want to freak her out again."

Leaving Quatre and Trowa to do as he said, the Chinese pilot got fresh bandages from his pack. He didn't dare put more antibiotics on it. He didn't want to hurt her again. Besides, if they were going to get her to Sally in a few hours, Sally would need to see the injury without any creams messing up her tests.

Quatre and Trowa eased the girl onto her stomach, both trying to ignore how much the girl's ribs stuck out and the numerous bruises that littered her torso. What worried them the most was how limp she was. Unlike last night, she didn't fight them at all.

Wufei carefully straddled the girl's legs as he had done the night before to hold her steady. He hated the idea of removing the bandages but some had worked themselves loose and many had bled through during the night. He pulled them off as carefully as he could but the pained hiss that escaped the girl told him he wasn't being careful enough.

Quatre brushed the girl's unruly hair from her face. He almost jumped for joy when she didn't flinch. Maybe they were getting through to her. ""Shhhh…we're almost done," he reassured her.

Once Wufei was finished, Trowa wrapped the girl in the blanket again, as much to help her get warm as to protect her modesty. Then they zipped her securely into the sleeping bag.

"That's better," Wufei murmured as the girl's shivering tapered off and her breathing evened out as she once again fell asleep. "I'm going to see if we can't get her loaded into a transport. Do you want me to bring rations back?"

"I'll get them, Wufei. Unless you'd like to go, Quatre?"

Quatre shook his head. "No, Trowa. I'll stay here just in case she wakes up."

Trowa nodded and followed Wufei out of the tent, leaving Quatre alone with the sleeping girl.

"Hang in there…you're almost free," Quatre whispered.

* * *

The phone rang. He put down his drink and casually picked up the private line. "Yes?"

"When were you going to tell me your location was compromised?"

"I apologize, sir. I had hoped they would be satisfied with an initial search, but it looks like they're planning to stay a while."

"You should have contacted me the instant they showed up. Now we're going to have to scramble to cover everything. If they find our other locations we are through. Even you won't be able to talk your way out of a stint working on L5."

"I understand sir. What would you like me to do to fix this?"

"How many tarts did you have in residence?"

"One."

"Did you have any clients when they showed up?"

"One."

"So between the client and the courtesan they have two witnesses that will need to be silenced and discredited. That will be your first task. Once you complete that we'll decide what to do next. Now about the last task I gave you…"

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. His boss would not be pleased.

"When can I expect delivery?"

He cleared his throat. "Well…sir…there were some extenuating circumstances. I didn't get to finish training the girl before they showed up so I don't have an exact date."

There was silence on the line.

He didn't dare make sure his boss was still on the line. He knew he was there as there was no dial tone.

His boss' voice was low and cold when he finally spoke. "I gave you a job to do. You know I don't approve of failure. You will have the girl to me next week or there will be consequences. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, sir. I will not fail you again."

"See that you don't." The dial tone signaled the end of the conversation.

He hung up and let out a string of curses. He had to get the girl and finish her training. He tapped into the video feed on the house. All he could see were Preventer agents everywhere. He set his jaw as he scanned each room. The client was being removed in a body bag. There was one witness taken care of. There was no sign of his bedmate.

He changed the feed to the basement room where he'd left the girl. She was gone. Well that certainly complicated things. They must have her. He simply had to get her back. He cut the feed and sipped at his drink as he considered ways to get her back. After evaluating every possible scenario he could come up with, he smiled. This would be simple enough. And as long as he was careful, no one would suspect his involvement. As long as those nosy Preventers left soon he shouldn't have any problems meeting the deadline.

He adjusted his easy chair and resumed his book. He might as well take advantage of this chance to relax. Tomorrow, he had work to do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Has Wufei come back yet?" Trowa asked as he ducked back into the tent with breakfast for the four of them.

"Not yet, Trowa," Quatre answered. He'd packed up his things and was sitting near the girl, watching her for any change.

"Is she still asleep?"

Quatre nodded. "Should we wake her and let her eat?"

"Don't," Wufei said as he came into the tent. "The more she sleeps the better. Besides, if she's asleep she isn't conscious of her pain."

Quatre wanted to protest, knowing she hadn't eaten since they found her and who knew when she'd eaten before that. However, what Wufei said had some truth to it, and Quatre _was_ in need of a break from the girl's emotions.

"Better eat," Trowa interrupted Quatre's thoughts, handing him a breakfast pastry and a bottle of water. "I'm sure Heero will be ready to move out soon."

Wufei nodded. "We can leave as soon as we've got the girl in the medical van. Heero said Une requested that the five of us return with the girl and she'll send other agents to supervise out here."

Trowa, Wufei and Quatre ate quickly and gathered their things. The sooner they got the girl to Sally, the better.

Wufei picked up the girl, sleeping bag and all, to carry her to the van, which had been moved only a few yards away. Trowa grabbed Wufei's pack as well as his own before heading to the van. Quatre held the door open and Trowa climbed in, dumping the packs in an out of the way corner. Wufei handed him the girl before getting in.

The van was an older model, with bench seats lining the two sides and room between them for a stretcher. The stretcher was currently secured to the floor of the van to prevent it from rolling around. It was also an older model, but it would keep the girl from moving too much during the trip to base. Trowa set the girl on the stretcher and stepped out of the way.

Wufei moved to strap her in and cursed. "This outdated P.O.S. needs better straps. We'll have to take her out of the sleeping bag. Even as skinny as she is the damn straps won't fit around it."

Trowa took a closer look. "Here's the problem. This strap was broken and someone just put the latch on the end of it so it's shorter than it's supposed to be."

Wufei scowled. Colonel Une was getting an earful from him about the lack of proper equipment.

"Do we need to strap her in? It's not like she's going anywhere," Trowa pointed out.

"I suppose we could just let her stay as she is," Wufei conceded slowly. "But we'll have to watch her closely. I don't want her to roll off."

"We won't let that happen," Quatre assured his friend as he climbed into the van.

"Fine then. She needs to stay warm anyway."

Duo got into the passenger seat and turned to look into the back. "How's she doing?"

Quatre shrugged. "Still asleep, for now."

Duo nodded and faced front so he could buckle his seat belt. He rolled down the window and banged on the side of the car as he yelled, "Hey Heero! Let's get a move on!"

Heero glared at him before resuming his conversation with the agent they were leaving in charge until Une's replacements showed up. When he finished, he calmly walked to the van and got into the driver's seat.

"Are you all ready?" he asked as Duo rolled his eyes.

"Yes, oh great leader," Duo drawled with a smirk.

Heero ignored Duo and started the van. As they got to the highway, Duo started playing with the radio, trying to find something to listen to. He switched from station to station, listening for only ten seconds before moving on.

"Duo…find something and leave it there."

"As soon as I find something good, I will 'Ro," Duo promised as he switched the station yet again.

After another ten minutes of Duo switching through the stations, Heero leaned over and swatted his hand away.

"This is _fine_. Leave it."

Duo smirked and leaned his seat back, closing his eyes. Heero rolled his eyes but left it alone.

Quatre was dozing but jerked awake as the girl shifted in her sleep. At first it seemed like she was just trying to get comfortable but the more she tossed and turned the more concerned the men in the back of the van got.

Wufei moved to the far side of the stretcher to keep her from rolling off. The stretcher had safety bars, but they were designed to work in conjunction with the straps. They wouldn't keep her from falling off if she moved too much. The girl's labored breathing concerned him. He swiped a hand across her forehead and swore. "Her fever's worse. We need to cool her down. Quatre, hand me that towel and a bottle of water."

Wufei dowsed the towel in water and dabbed it on the girl's face. Her cheeks were flushed but she wasn't sweating at all. He didn't _want_ to say anything about how dehydrated the girl was and worry Quatre, but she needed an IV. "Trowa…see if you can find a saline bag."

As Trowa looked through the various compartments in the back of the van, the girl started fidgeting inside the sleeping bag. To Quatre, it looked like she was trying to free her hands even though she was still asleep. She finally managed it and pushed at the sleeping bag.

"Quatre undo the bag. It should help cool her off a bit."

Quatre nodded and unzipped the sleeping bag, careful to keep the blanket over the girl.

Trowa found a saline bag and handed it to Wufei, who set it aside.

"I want her strapped in before I try to give her this. I don't want her to pull it out."

Trowa lifted the girl while Wufei and Quatre removed the sleeping bag so the straps would close properly. Once Trowa set the girl back on the stretcher, Quatre secured the strap around her waist while Wufei did up the one around her shoulders. Quatre draped the sleeping bag across the girl's feet for lack of anywhere better to put it. He figured that would keep it ready if they needed it.

Wufei carefully grabbed the girl's hand to insert the IV only to have her yank it away. He narrowed his eyes. Was she really sleeping or just faking it?

"She's asleep, Wufei," Quatre confirmed quietly. "I think she's having a bad dream, though. She's panicking."

As if to confirm Quatre's theory, the girl started breathing heavily and tried to roll over. She pulled against the restraints for a minute before going limp.

"We'll need to restrain her hands so I can get this in and so she doesn't pull it out once it's in place. See if there are any other straps we can use."

After a few minutes of searching, they couldn't find any.

"Any suggestions?" Wufei asked. They had another two hours before they got to Sally. Theoretically the girl could wait until they got there but he didn't want to risk it. She was in really bad shape.

"Here," Duo said, throwing a set of handcuffs back to them.

"Duo…I don't think—"

"Well that's not news, Trowa," Duo interrupted with a snigger. Ignoring Trowa's glare, he continued, "Look, I know it's not ideal. But you gotta work with what you've got."

Wufei looked at the handcuffs. "I suppose they will suffice. Is there another pair?"

"You can't be serious, Wufei! What if she wakes up? Who knows how she'll react to that," Quatre pointed out.

Wufei carefully grabbed the girl's wrist and she, again, pulled it away and tried to turn over in her sleep.

"Quatre, I don't think we have much choice. She _needs_ to have the IV. She's so dehydrated her body could shut down before we get her to Sally. Given her current state…if that happens…she might not recover." Wufei looked at Quatre, an apology in his face. He didn't like it any more than Quatre did but what choice did they have?

Quatre looked down at the girl again, watching her struggle to breathe. "Okay, Wufei. If it's the only way."

Wufei took the handcuffs and set one around the safety bar before carefully cuffing the girl's wrist. He made sure it was loose enough not to hurt her but tight enough that she couldn't pull her hand out.

"Do we have another set?" Wufei asked as he readied the IV. "I don't want her to pull this out."

Trowa got into his pack for his set of handcuffs, which Wufei quickly used to restrain the girl's other hand. Almost immediately the girl started struggling against the cuffs. Her eyes opened slightly but they didn't look focused.

"Calm down, it's okay," Quatre tried. She just needed to relax. Instead, she pulled harder. "Stop! You'll hurt yourself."

The girl didn't seem to understand. She pulled harder and twisted, trying to get her hands free.

"Wufei! Do something!" Quatre begged as the girl's wrists were pulled raw and blood started trickling down her arms.

Wufei swore and quickly found a needle in his pack. He held down her arm and plunged the needle in, but only pressed the plunger enough to disperse half of the sedative. He prayed he hadn't given her too much as she almost immediately went limp.

"Quat, you okay?"

Quatre nodded as tears threatened to fall. "She's so afraid, Duo…and she's in pain…I just…"

"Quatre, do you want a sedative?" Wufei asked. "She should sleep for the rest of the trip but if you want one to block her out—"

Quatre shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I should be fine now. I just don't know how to help her."

"You can't save everyone, Quat," Duo said as he turned around, leaned the seat back and put his hands under his head. "So there's no use worryin' about it."

Quatre frowned but didn't say anything. Duo had a deep-seated sorrow that he and Quatre had talked about a long time ago, during the wars. Duo had told Quatre that everyone he ever got close to died and it had taken him a long time to admit his feelings for Heero because of it. Duo only started to hope that Heero would survive his "curse" after he self-destructed in Siberia and survived. Duo figured if a direct explosion couldn't kill him off, maybe nothing could. While Heero had helped to heal some of Duo's pain, it never fully went away. That sorrow had made an appearance as Duo was talking.

Wufei got the IV hooked into the girl. There wasn't much to do now but watch her for any negative reactions and hope that she didn't get worse before they got her to Sally. He carefully bandaged her wrists. He doubted the cuts were deep enough to need stitches but there was no point in letting her bleed everywhere.

The girl slept and the three former pilots observed that she didn't get any better, but she also didn't get any worse, which they supposed was a blessing. Wufei replaced the saline bag twice before Heero _finally_ pulled into the Base Hospital, where Sally was waiting to take the girl off their hands.

* * *

As soon as Quatre opened the van doors, Sally climbed inside.

"How is she?"

"I had to sedate her. She seemed to be in the middle of a night terror and we couldn't get her to stop," Wufei explained as Sally checked the girl's pulse and looked into her eyes with a small flashlight.

"How much did you give her?"

Wufei held up the syringe. "Only half a dose. I wasn't sure how much was safe for her and I didn't want to cause an OD."

Sally nodded. "What was in this drip?" She indicated the now empty bag.

"Saline. That's the third one."

Sally frowned. "Has she eliminated* at all?"

Wufei shook his head.

"Let's get her inside. Tell Une I'll meet with you all after I finish her examination."

* * *

Sally started by drawing blood and sending it to get tested. She ordered a DNA scan and a fingerprint analysis to try and identify the girl. She also had the unconscious girl undergo a CT scan to check for broken bones and internal bleeding. Sally had them perform every test she could think of. She didn't want the girl to suffer any more than she already had and since Wufei had told her she wasn't talking to anyone, Sally wanted to cover all the bases.

Sally looked at the initial report and filled out the patient information sheet.  
Sex: female  
Race: Caucasian  
Hair: black  
Eye Color: green  
Age: unknown.  
Height: 5'4"  
Weight…Sally wanted to throw up. The girl should have weighed around 120 lbs., really 116 was on the skinny side for a girl her height. This girl was barely at 68 lbs. 50 pounds underweight was not okay. Sally wasn't sure how she survived being beaten. One thing was for sure: whoever had beaten her knew what he was doing. Nothing was broken.

"I want her on a nutrient drip immediately," she ordered her assistant. "And piggyback it with a re-hydrating solution. She still isn't close to where she should be."

"What about a feeding tube?"

Sally thought for a moment. "Not just yet. If she doesn't become alert in the next couple of days we'll do that, but I want to give her body a chance to work on its own first. If she had been refusing to eat on her own I'd be all for it, but I doubt that's the case. I don't know what kind of a shock the drip will be to her system. And…I'm afraid that putting in a feeding tube may cause more damage to her because of how frail she is. I'd like to keep it a last resort."

The nurse went to get the required items for the drip while Sally removed the girl's dirt soiled pants. Knowing that Wufei had put the girl's knee back in the socket, she decided to go ahead and cut them off the girl rather than risk hurting her trying to pull them off. Sally frowned as she cut away the threadbare jeans. The girl wasn't wearing underwear. Sally sighed. She should have expected as much. It would be one less piece of clothing for her attackers to have to rip off of her.

Sally steeled herself for the next part of her examination. She didn't want to think of this poor girl being raped, but she had to check for it and document and treat any STDs the girl might have been given. If there was any DNA to be found, she would need to collect it so they could find a match and send the bastards to jail. Once this examination was done she could have the girl bathed and take a closer look at her back. Sally hoped the sedative Wufei had given her would last through the exam. She pulled on a fresh pair of gloves and got to work.

* * *

* in case you didn't know, "eliminate", when used in a medical sense, means "to expel waste from the body" in the form of poop, pee or vomit. In this case, after being pumped full of so much fluid, the girl should have peed herself as she was unconscious and wouldn't have been able to control her bladder.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! That weird thing called "life" kept getting in the way and I think my muse may be on vacation. Getting this chapter to work out was like pulling teeth. I hate that. Hopefully the next one comes along a little more willingly! Until then, I hope this satisfies you...**

**Oh, and the guest that reviewed hit it right on the head! Good job and thank you! :)**

* * *

Chapter 8

Colonel Une pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you done, Agent Chang?"

"Hardly."

The colonel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Agent Chang had spent the last 45 minutes telling her off for the poor quality of the medical equipment she'd sent with them on this assignment.

"And furthermore—"

"Agent Chang," Une interrupted. "I understand your frustration and I apologize. I figured this lead would turn out to be a dud and decided not to send newer equipment. Rest assured, it won't happen again. From now on all leads will be considered hot until proven cold."

Wufei nodded, satisfied for the moment.

'_Finally'_ Une thought. Wufei was a very capable agent but could be difficult to appease when he really got going. "Agent Yuy, please report."

Colonel Une listened attentively as Heero reported on the findings at the chateau.

"The forensics team is collecting everything from the attic and will report the findings to us as soon as they can be sorted through."

Colonel Une nodded, but had a hard time keeping her expression neutral. This case was going to be worse than she'd anticipated. "Tell me about the girl Agent Chang was going on about."

Wufei scowled as Duo and Quatre explained how they found the girl. Wufei and Trowa then added what they observed about her and her condition.

"Dr. Po said she would meet with us after her examination of the girl," Wufei added.

"When did she tell you that?"

"When we handed the girl off to her, which was as soon as we got in."

Colonel Une looked at her watch. That was two hours ago. She frowned and hit the intercom to connect with her secretary. "Grace."

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Please get Dr. Po on the line."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The five agents and their commander sat in silence until the secretary spoke again. "I have been informed that Dr. Po is currently en route to see you, Colonel."

"Thank you, Grace. That will suffice. Please show her in as soon as she arrives."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Colonel Une looked at the five men before her as they continued to wait in silence. Not long ago they had been mere boys piloting the most sophisticated weapons the world could conjure. They had been on different sides of the same losing battle. In the end, they had come together to fight an even larger threat. They had changed over the years. They were no longer the scrawny waifs that had been underestimated so many times. Now they were strong, capable agents that were still underestimated by older, cockier agents. Those agents stupid enough to challenge them were quickly put in their place much to the entertainment of those who knew better. The former Gundam pilots were a team that Une would never even consider breaking up. Sure, she sent them out two or three at a time on occasion, but in general, the five of them worked together regularly.

As the silence lengthened, the Colonel continued her rumination. Heero Yuy, the so-called "perfect" soldier, was still very much a perfectionist. It was rare for a mission he was heading to fail. Still, he wasn't as perfect as he wanted everyone to believe. He was seeing Maxwell, in direct violation of the fraternization clause of the Preventer's contract. However, as long as they refrained from public displays of affection while on duty, she let it slide. They were too good to lose over something like that. True, there was the argument that a rift in their relationship would affect their performance, but Une suspected they'd rather die before allowing anything to jeopardize their missions.

About Maxwell…the man was like a ten-year-old stuck in a man's body at times. Any outside observer would think he was nothing more than comedic relief for the team. He made jokes at inappropriate times, thought whoopee cushions should come standard on office chairs, felt his middle fingers did not get nearly enough exercise and was a menace with explosives. The third floor bathroom was still in the process of being remodeled after an "experiment" to see how much C-4 was needed to remove a toilet seat. Une was still not amused. Still, she supposed he had matured…a little.

Then there was Trowa Barton. The man had infiltrated several Oz bases during his stint as a Gundam pilot. She had worked directly with him at the moon base. She mentally snorted. She'd personally assigned him to test the Mercurius and the Vayeate. He'd performed admirably, even if his end goal was to destroy her base. He had admitted to being tired of this lifestyle. In fact, had this last lead turned out to be false, they would be sitting here, filling out his exit paperwork. He had agreed to train new recruits in infiltration and interrogation and to be called in when he was needed, but he was ready to live a civilian life, well as much of one as a former terrorist could have. Une secretly felt bad that this case was going to keep him on for several months at least. She knew he was tired of fighting and just wanted to enjoy the peace he'd fought for.

Quatre Winner…there had been a surprise. She had never expected the sole heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation to fill out an application to become a field agent of all things. She'd figured, like everyone else, that he would simply go home and settle into running his late father's company. Not that she wasn't pleased he wanted to an agent, she just hadn't expected it. In fact, she'd been trying to figure out how to coerce him into training new recruits when he sauntered in and handed her the application with a smile. She would have been an idiot to refuse. He was a shrewd tactical genius and she had seen his leadership skills firsthand. He was probably the most stubborn of the five, though he seemed like a naïve pushover at first. It was a misconception he often used to his favor.

And last, but not least, Wufei Chang. He was the first to join the Preventers and Une suspected he would be the last to leave. He was married to his job, learning new skills at every chance he got. He was probably the most well-rounded agent on the force. Though, she had to wonder if his interest in the medical field wasn't really so that he could spend more time with a very pretty blonde doctor. It was no secret the two were close, though how close was anyone's guess. Chang was a tightly closed book when he chose to be.

Colonel Une was pulled from her ruminations as the door opened and the very doctor she was just wondering about entered. Her expression was troubled and she looked tired, so Une decided to cut to the chase.

"What information do you have for us, Dr. Po?"

Sally took a deep breath to calm herself. "She's actually better off than I expected."

Five sets of eyebrows raised.

Sally ignored them and continued. "Given the obvious extent of the beatings she's been at the wrong side of, I expected broken bones, potential internal damage and proof of sexual assault."

"But you found?" Colonel Une prompted.

"Amazingly enough…none of that."

"Whoa…what!?" Duo spoke for all the pilots in the room, though he didn't know it.

"She has no broken bones and no serious internal bleeding, which I expected after seeing how bruised she is. Her rotator cuff has some minor tears that should heal with rest, so I've immobilized her right arm. The tendons in her knee weren't stretched too badly by being dislocated so I expect she should be able to walk on her own within a week. And she's…intact[1]. She wasn't raped. She's still a virgin."

"Are…are you sure about that?" Trowa asked. He'd seen what happened to the girls in that house.

"Positive. In fact, her back is the worst of her injuries. It was infected so we'll have to watch it closely. She's dangerously dehydrated and severely emaciated. I expect she was beaten and starved in order to make her cooperate. Was there anything that suggested how long she'd been there?"

"Not really," Quatre answered. "There was a room in the basement that looked like a prison cell, but nothing that would have said how long she was there."

"She might not have been kept in that room," Trowa said quietly. "There was a room upstairs…smaller than the others that had a single bed and a private bath. But the bathroom didn't have the basic amenities like soap and toilet paper and the bedroom had bloodstains on the carpet and there was another one on the wall in the hallway. Someone shoving her against the wall could very likely cause it."

"In any case, I'm hoping that she'll feel safe enough to talk to us when she wakes up," Quatre said. "When do you anticipate that?"

Sally didn't answer right away. "It's hard to tell. It might be a few days, it might be a week, and if she isn't as strong as we think she is…it might be never." Sally didn't like giving answers like that, but it was better to be honest up front before anyone got their hopes up. "Even though she doesn't have all the injuries we expected, she's still in really bad shape. She's been given six bags of a rehydrating solution and still hasn't eliminated, which means her body is retaining everything right now. There's a chance her kidneys will shut down, if they haven't already. I'm still hoping that it's just because of how dehydrated she is and that her body will start processing the fluids soon. If it doesn't happen in the next few hours, we're going to have to start her on dialysis, which might kill her anyway. She just isn't strong enough to withstand a lot right now. I've got her on a nutrient drip but I don't dare put in a feeding tube until her body starts functioning better. There are a lot of things that could go wrong at this stage, so I don't want to get anyone's hopes up."

"Sally, we know you'll do your best and that's all anyone can ask," Une told her kindly. "We'll just have to be patient and see what happens. In the meantime," the Colonel's demeanor turned businesslike, "I want her on round the clock supervision. I want one of you five to guard her at all times, no exceptions. That's why I recalled all of you from the field. I know I can trust you to get the job done."

Sally cleared her throat. "Colonel, I have a slight modification request."

"What is it?"

"Can they stand guard _outside_ the girl's room at times? I know that she's unconscious right now, but I don't think she'd be comfortable knowing that there were men in her room while she was being examined or bathed. And if we want her to talk to us, she needs to be comfortable."

"Modification accepted. However, I would like for you to be _absolutely positive_ that no one else will be allowed in that room that you wouldn't trust with your life. There are to be no chances taken with this girl. She is our _only_ witness and we need her alive if at all possible. I have no doubts that whoever was holding her prisoner will do whatever he deems necessary to get her back as she is now a liability."

Sally nodded her agreement.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss? Then I will leave you gentlemen to design your own schedule for protecting the girl. I expect to be kept up to date on her condition and any developments in this case. Dismissed."

The five former pilots and Sally left Une's office.

"Who wants the first shift?" Heero asked, breaking the silence.

"I'll take it," Trowa said. "How long are the shifts going to be?"

"She needs watching at all times. Are ten hour shifts okay with everyone?"

The others nodded.

"Trowa, are you okay to take this shift? You didn't get much sleep last night and you didn't sleep in the van—"

"I'm fine, Quatre. And besides, she'll likely sleep the whole time and it's too soon for her captors to have found out where she is. It'll be an easy shift."

Duo frowned. "Damn. I shoulda volunteered, now that you put it like that."

Trowa smirked. "You snooze, you lose."

"Right. We'll figure out the next shift and relieve you later," Heero said, stopping the playful banter. "We probably shouldn't leave her unguarded any longer than absolutely necessary."

The group headed towards the parking garage and split off towards their vehicles.

"Trowa, if you'll wait at the nurse's station on the fifth floor, I'll take you to the girl," Sally said as they parted ways.

Trowa nodded and silently went to his car.

Wufei followed Sally to the second floor of the parking garage. He always parked up there and she had started doing the same, knowing she would always have an escort. It was generally less crowded up there and Wufei didn't like the idea of someone scratching his car. It was a vintage Koenigsegg One. It was silver with burgundy racing stripes and yellow accents. It went from zero to 250 in less than 20 seconds and was the closest to flying he could get while still being on the ground. He'd pushed the rebuilt engine up to 296 MPH on an open stretch in the Sanc Kingdom a few years back.

Sally stumbled on the stair ahead of him and Wufei frowned as he caught her. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I'm fine."

"That wasn't what I asked. _When was the last time you slept_?" Wufei asked again, turning her to face him.

Sally sighed. "Look, I was just finishing a double when you pulled up with the girl. I'm okay, really."

"You need to sleep."

"I will. As soon as I get Trowa settled, I'll go home, okay?"

Wufei didn't answer right away. "Will…would you stay with me tonight?"

Sally looked down. "I can't. It isn't that I don't want to," she added quickly. "I just…your apartment is too far away. I need to be close in case the girl gets worse and I get called in."

"I see." Wufei tried to hide his disappointment. After this mission, he didn't want to be alone in his apartment. He needed her. He would never openly admit that, but it was true just the same. He thought again about asking her to marry him, but a grungy stairwell was not exactly the setting he had in mind.

Instead, he escorted her to her car. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "Why don't you stay with me instead?" Her blue eyes looked up into his dark ones. He had grown taller over the years since they'd met. Though she was older than he was, neither one minded and it was no one else's business.

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay with that?"

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Why don't you run over to your apartment and get what you need and I'll meet you at my place."

Wufei nodded. It wouldn't be the first night they'd spent together, but it was the first time he'd been invited to stay at her home. His apartment had always seemed the logical choice as it was larger and his neighbor wasn't the base gossip. Sally had a reputation to maintain after all and letting Wufei stay in her apartment was sure to turn heads.

Once she was safely inside her vehicle he got into his own, loving the purr of the engine. There were times he wished he could just start driving and never stop, but something always stopped him. He could never really pin down what it was, but usually it just didn't seem sensible at all. There were more important things to do than run away. So he generally went for a _very_ long drive whenever the mood struck him. Tonight, however, he was tired and just wanted to sleep.

He quickly gathered what he would need in an overnight bag and returned to Sally's apartment. He rang her buzzer and waited. There was no response. He should have known. He hadn't noticed her car in the parking area. He tried to call her but she didn't answer. He frowned as he pushed away the worry that something had happened to her. He got back into his car and headed for the hospital.

Upon arrival, he approached the nurse's stand and asked where she was. He was directed to the fifth floor. The fifth floor was generally quiet but tonight there was a bit of a to-do. Wufei cursed and headed towards the sound of a familiar scream. Inside the room, Trowa was trying to hold the girl down as she screamed and fought against his touch. Sally was trying her best to get a needle into her arm. Wufei pushed his way beside Sally and grabbed the girl's arm, forcing it to be still. Sally quickly plunged the needle in and within seconds the girl went limp.

"Thank you, Wufei. She's having night terrors," Sally explained.

"Why did you not subdue her before it got to this point?" Wufei wanted to know.

"She seemed to be responding to Trowa. He was trying to talk her out and she calmed down for a while and as I was about to leave she just started screaming and thrashing about. She gave one orderly a black eye and she broke the nose of another."

Wufei nodded. He hadn't wanted to drug the girl either but sometimes it had to be done.

"I think I'm going to give her another IV so we can just push a button when she has one of these episodes."

Wufei and Trowa stood out of the way and watched as Sally gave orders and got a second IV hooked up to the girl. This one was different from the IV that was delivering fluids and nutrients to the girl. It was designed to distribute medication as needed and could be adjusted without ever touching the girl.

"Okay…I think that should do—Oh! Hannah, please get this cleaned up and Janice, bring me a catheter please." Sally turned to the two men. "Would you wait outside?"

Trowa shrugged and headed out with Wufei behind him. The two men waited for only a few minutes before Sally opened the door and the nurses vacated the room.

"Is everything okay?" Wufei asked.

"Yes. She finally eliminated some of that excess liquid which means her kidneys haven't shut down and she's rehydrating. I'm so glad we won't have to do dialysis." Sally stopped talking and covered her mouth as she yawned. "Oh…excuse me."

"You need to sleep. Come on, I'm taking you home," Wufei said, reaching for Sally's arm. He wasn't about to let her ruin her health just because she was too stubborn to take a break when she needed to.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Trowa, she should be okay for the night but if you have any problems, please page me."

Trowa nodded and went into the room.

Wufei led Sally out to their cars. "I would rather you didn't drive, Sally."

"Wufei, it's only a few blocks and I'm okay. I won't fall asleep at the wheel."

Wufei pursed his lips. "Fine. But I'm following you to make sure."

Sally was too tired to argue. Instead, she got into her car and led the way to her apartment.

* * *

[1] Okay, so for those of you that haven't attended an anatomy class, a girl has a thin membrane in her vagina called a hymen. This is usually broken the first time she experiences intercourse and so Sally decided the girl hadn't been raped because her hymen was still intact. (However, it is possible for it to wear down as women age so it might not be intact even if the woman is still a virgin.)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hope my American readers had a safe and fun 4th of July holiday. (Of course I hope you're all safe every day, but fireworks add in a new element, don't they? Could you imagine the fireworks Duo would create if given the chance?) **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Trowa allowed himself to doze as the girl slept. It was late and the hospital was quiet. Of course he was wide awake when the night nurse came in to check on her. The girl hadn't stirred since Sally gave her that sedative. As he settled in after the nurse left, Trowa allowed his thoughts to wander.

The truth was, he hadn't wanted to be alone tonight. He would rather sit in a room with an unconscious girl than try to sleep in his too quiet apartment. He missed being able to sleep in the animal tent when he felt this way. Quatre had suggested that he move in and they could be roommates, but Trowa didn't like the idea of living in such posh surroundings as Quatre was used to and he knew the blonde wouldn't want to live where Trowa did. And even if they did find a place they could agree on, Trowa wasn't sure that he could find solitude when he needed it. Quatre was used to being surrounded by people, first his family and servants, then the Maganacs, and it made him a little clingy when he got lonely. The only reason he lived in an apartment rather than one of his mansions was because the mansions were too big and quiet for him. He had said he would live there if the other pilots agreed to move in as well, but they had turned him down. Each had craved independence after the wars and, with the exception of Duo and Heero, that hadn't changed.

Of course, they were in a serious relationship so their living together made sense. Trowa shook his head. If he was in a relationship, he wouldn't want to live alone, either. He just hadn't found the right girl. Duo had teased him and Quatre on more than one occasion that they would be a cute couple if they never found girls. Quatre had turned bright red and told Duo flat out that it would never happen. Trowa hadn't let Duo get to him, which turned out to be the right response. Duo was constantly teasing Quatre about being gay and every time Quatre reacted, Duo thought it was hilarious and only teased him more.

Duo had asked once what kind of girl Trowa was looking for and Trowa didn't have an answer. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it, it was just that he didn't want to miss the right girl just because she didn't fit his "list." There _was_ one thing he knew he wanted in a girl—woman, he mentally corrected himself—though. He didn't want a woman who was afraid of him. There were enough people out there who were terrified of the Gundam pilots, even without ever meeting them. He didn't want anyone he was in a relationship with to be afraid all the time. That wouldn't be fair to either of them.

Trowa glanced at his watch. Eight hours to go. He sighed and turned on the television. He wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight anyway.

* * *

Quatre stared at the cup of tea in front of him. He'd hoped it would relax him enough to sleep, but he was still shaken over the events of the last 36 hours. He was grateful for the respite from the girl's emotions but he worried that nothing would be able to reach her. He wanted to know what had happened to her but at the same time, he didn't.

Quatre leaned back on his couch and turned on the television, letting noise pervade his apartment. He really needed a pet or something.

* * *

Sally woke more refreshed than she had in a long time. She always felt safe with Wufei's arms around her and while she was sleeping was no exception. As soon as they'd gotten to her apartment, he'd insisted that she eat something and go to bed. He'd been about to take up residency on her couch when Sally had told him not to be stupid as there was more than enough room in her queen sized bed for the two of them. He'd said something about propriety and she'd only rolled her eyes and dragged him to her room. It wasn't like they'd done anything but sleep. Still…she really didn't want to leave those nice strong arms this morning. She snuggled into his embrace and grinned to herself as Wufei shifted to pull her closer.

She could get used to this.

"Don't you have to get up soon?" Wufei murmured in her ear.

Sally sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."

"When?"

Sally glanced at Wufei's watch since she didn't want to move out of his embrace just to check the clock. "I absolutely have to get up in an hour. I'm not moving before that."

Wufei smirked and lifted her chin so he could kiss her. He decided that he liked waking up with her in his arms. He considered asking her to marry him, but the thought fled as their kisses turned into something more.

* * *

"Come back to bed."

Heero looked over his shoulder as he neatly tied his tie. Duo was lounging in bed, his hair tousled from sleep. He was _very_ tempting.

"I can't. I've got the next shift, Duo. You know that."

Duo sighed. "I forgot."

Heero leaned over and kissed his boyfriend. "I'll see you later."

"Have fun," Duo answered before snuggling into the blankets. _He_ didn't have to be up any time soon and he was going to take advantage of it for once.

* * *

Heero and Sally arrived at the girl's room at almost the same time. Heero knocked before entering, not wanting to startle Trowa.

"Any change?" Sally asked as they entered.

"No. No further night terrors, either."

Sally nodded and started to check the machines, making notes on the patient clipboard. "Her fever's gone down a little, but it's still a bit high."

"Any idea when she'll wake up?"

Sally looked at Heero. "I said before that I wasn't sure and I'll repeat that now. I don't know. She's eliminating so her kidneys and liver are still functioning, which is a good sign but I don't want you to get any unrealistic expectations. We might still lose her. I don't know exactly what happened to her but I can guess. It's possible that she's still asleep because her mind has decided that it's safer not to be awake right now. And if that's the case…then…" Sally took a deep breath and let it out. "Then there's nothing I can do."

Heero nodded.

"Don't be upset, Sally," Trowa said softly. "We know you're doing everything you can. Heero was just asking because Colonel Une has asked us to keep her as up to date as possible."

Sally nodded and went back to making notes on her clipboard. "I'll be back to check her in a few hours, Heero. If she has another terror or if anything changes, page me."

Heero nodded and settled into the chair as Trowa followed Sally out.

* * *

"What do you think, Trowa?" Sally asked after the door was shut.

Trowa raised an eyebrow. He was no doctor. Why did she want his opinion?

"Even if she does regain consciousness, do you think she'll _want_ to talk to us?"

"Probably not. She didn't trust us when she was awake before. I don't know if we'll be able to earn her trust any time soon. Unfortunately, Une wants us to get her to talk as soon as she wakes up and I think that's a bad idea. That girl needs to talk to us on her terms, not ours."

Sally sighed. "I agree. Just seeing her injuries tells me that she was horribly abused and we have no idea how long this has been going on. I'd say it was several months at least. Even if she was skinny to start, it takes time to get that malnourished."

Trowa nodded.

"And we can't rule out the possibility that she's been irreparably scarred for life. She might not talk to _anyone_ about what happened to her."

Trowa nodded again.

Sally gave him a small smile. "I should let you go home and get some sleep. Thank you for your help Trowa."

Trowa gave her a small nod and left the building.

Sally watched him go and her thoughts about the girl were interrupted by an ungodly scream. She hurried back into the girl's room as her pager went off.

She rushed to the machine next to the screaming girl and pushed the button to release the sedative. The girl calmed and Sally checked her pulse. It was elevated, but gradually slowing down.

"Was she awake when she started screaming?"

"N-no."

Sally gave Heero an odd look. He was pale. "Are _you_ alright?"

Heero shook his head. "C-call D-Duo."

Sally whipped out her cell phone and dialed Duo's number as fast as she could. As it rang she watched Heero back into the corner and slide down into a sitting position with his knees drawn up. He watched her warily.

"Yeah?" Duo's groggy voice greeted her.

"Duo, it's Sally. I need you to come down here…Heero asked me to call you."

"What's wrong?" Duo was instantly alert.

"I think he might be having a flashback."

"Okay…I'll get there as soon as I can. Whatever you do, don't let him run off. He's damn near impossible to catch when he's like this. Just…I don't know…keep your distance but don't let him leave. I'm on my way."

Sally hung up and leaned against the door. "Can you talk to me Heero?"

Heero glared at her in response.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Where are you right now?"

"Classified."

"Do you know Duo?"

"02?"

Sally nodded. "He said to tell you he's on his way."

"Baka…he'll get himself caught."

There was a soft knock on the door. Heero narrowed his eyes. "Don't answer it."

"Can I ask who it is?"

Heero frowned but nodded.

"Who is it?" Sally asked.

"Wufei. Duo called me. Let me in."

"Heero doesn't want me to let you in, Wufei," Sally told him, deliberately speaking slowly so Heero wouldn't misunderstand. She could tell he was tense and didn't want to set him off.

"05?" Heero asked suspiciously. "It's an imposter. 05 is on a mission in L3."

"I can prove it, Heero," Wufei called through the door. "Will you let me in?"

Heero growled. "Prove it _before_ you come in."

"I can't."

Heero glared at the door. "Then you're _not_ coming in."

* * *

Out in the hall Wufei was getting frustrated. Sally was stuck in a room with a flashing Heero. Heero was dangerous when he wasn't in control of himself. Wufei was debating whether it would be worth it to break down the door when Duo came running down the hall.

"'Ro! It's me! Lemme in!"

"Prove it!"

Duo frowned at the door. "You're wearing green boxers with little yellow ducks on 'em."

Wufei stared at Duo. "What the hell?"

Duo grinned. "I gave 'em to him. Never thought he'd actually wear 'em, but he was wearin' 'em this morning."

The door creaked open.

"D-Duo?"

"It's me 'Ro. Promise."

The door opened wider and Duo cautiously entered with Wufei behind. Heero threw himself into Duo's arms.

"Sorry," Heero muttered as Duo held him.

"No problem," Duo said softly.

Wufei shut the door. "Sally are you alright?" he asked as he pulled her into his arms.

"I'm fine."

"What happened, 'Ro?" Duo asked as he made Heero sit down.

"She…she screamed and it triggered me. I apologize Sally. I didn't mean for you to get caught in the middle."

"It's fine, Heero. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't hurt me unless you felt threatened."

Wufei frowned. "Heero…why did the scream trigger you? The girl has screamed before so why was this time different?"

Heero shook his head. "I think…I think it's because of the way it echoed off the walls in this room."

Wufei raised an eyebrow.

Heero shut his eyes. "It's something that happened during Operation Meteor…not long after New Edwards…just before I detonated."

Duo knelt in front of Heero. "'Ro, if you don't want to talk about it—"

"No…I think it's time I told someone. I need to start dealing with my past. This can't keep happening." Heero took a deep breath. "I was on a mission…intel gathering for the most part, with orders to destroy the operating systems of a prototype Oz was developing. I completed my mission and was hiding out in a small town while I waited for a chance to change locations without arousing too much suspicion. While I was there Oz rounded everyone up and put us all in an underground bunker. They said that there was going to be an attack unless the person responsible for sabotaging their research came forward. Of course, I wasn't about to turn myself in, so I sat quietly with everyone else and didn't draw any attention to myself. After about three hours, a woman near me started to get upset. She said she couldn't handle it anymore and demanded to be let out. The soldiers wouldn't let her go. She got mad and basically freaked out. She started screaming and wouldn't stop. I remember covering my ears because it was so loud but it didn't help much. The soldiers ordered her to stop. They hit her and threatened her but she still didn't stop screaming. Then…then they…they shot her…point blank…in the head…and because I was nearby…I ended up with blood and…and brain matter all over me." Duo pulled Heero into a tight embrace. "The screaming today was…was too similar…" Heero whispered.

Duo continued to hold Heero as he looked up at Wufei. "Can you take 'Ro's shift? I need to get him away from here for a while. I'd ask Quat but he's supposed be on next and Tro' just finished his shift."

Wufei nodded. "It's not a problem, Duo. You two do what you need to."

"Thanks 'Fei. I owe you one," Duo said as he led Heero away.

Wufei stared at the girl for a moment before he said, "I'm not sure Heero should watch her again. If she's going to make him flash we should minimize his exposure to her."

Sally agreed. "Maybe once she wakes up she won't have the screaming fits anymore."

Wufei snorted. "I doubt it, but I'll talk to the others and see if we can't make it work." He paused as another thought struck him. "Did Heero _actually_ check which underwear he had on?"

Sally shrugged. "He turned around and I looked away, so I'm assuming he did."

Wufei snorted. "I can't believe that worked. Leave it to Maxwell," he said, shaking his head.

* * *

"Heero?" Duo frowned as Heero continued to look out the window. He hadn't responded since Duo got him into the car. "Heero…please talk to me."

Heero glanced at Duo and then returned to staring at the city as Duo drove them home.

"'Ro, you didn't do anything wrong. I've flashed before and had to call you. You don't need to get upset about it."

"I'm not upset."

"But somethin's bothering you." Duo was glad Heero was talking, but he didn't like it when he refused to admit something was wrong. He knew it had to do with Heero's training, but Duo had been trying to break him of it since the wars ended. Heero didn't _need_ to be a compliant killing machine anymore. He didn't need to be perfect. He could make mistakes and no matter how much progress Heero made, incidents like this always seemed to reset him. It was frustrating, but Duo loved him enough not to let it get to him. Instead, he tried to use situations like this to reinforce the idea that Heero could make mistakes and the world wouldn't end.

"I was just thinking…about the girl."

Duo stayed silent, letting Heero take his time. Duo had learned when to push Heero to talk and when to leave Heero alone. If he pushed at the wrong times, Heero would go silent and Duo would never get him to say what he needed to get off his chest.

"If she screamed like that before we found her…" Heero frowned as he tried to puzzle out his own thought. "Either someone might have heard her or…or maybe she was just beaten for it…I…I don't know," he admitted, frustrated. "It seemed like an important thought but now it doesn't make any sense. Sorry."

Duo thought for a minute. "No, you do have a point, there. If someone heard her, then they didn't report it and they're accessories in this crime. We might be able to find more witnesses in the area of the house. We didn't really look to see how far away anyone else might have been. We should look into it. If she got beat for it, it might be why she's been so afraid to make any noise while she's conscious. We're gonna have to make her understand that she's not getting beaten anymore. I think Quat'll be the best to work with her. It might not be a bad idea to have him watch her when she's awake an' the rest of us watch her more when she's asleep."

Heero shrugged. "Maybe. I hate it when I have a thought on the edge of my mind but I can't pin it down. It seemed like there was more to it than that."

"Maybe that's how she got how she is, then. She got beat for havin' nightmares," Duo suggested.

"Perhaps."

Heero fell silent and Duo didn't push it. He'd said his piece and Duo was happy that Heero wasn't upset about his lapse into imperfection. However, flashbacks had a way of being draining, no matter how brief they were so Duo had no doubts that Heero was tired. Duo planned to take him home and get him to rest for a while. He'd call and check in with Wufei and let Quatre and Trowa know what had happened so they were all on the same page. They were a team and what affected one, affected them all. How had that book put it? All for one and one for all? Duo smirked at the reference. He wondered if he could convince Heero to dress up for Halloween this year if he got to have a sword…

Duo shook his head. 'Not the time, Maxwell,' he mentally berated himself. He glanced at his boyfriend. Heero was still staring out the window, but his eyelids were starting to droop. Duo felt a smile twitch at the edge of his lips. He'd get Heero settled in bed for a nap and then make his calls. He hoped they wouldn't take too long so he could get in some cuddle time with Heero.

* * *

"I'm not happy, Donovan."

He nodded. "I understand, sir. Things did not turn out as I expected."

"I'm not interested in your excuses. Fix this."

"Yes, sir."

The vid screen went black and he sank into a chair. He was screwed. The Preventers had found the attic. He snorted. Of course they had. He'd told Decart that it was stupid to keep the leftovers on location but he was ignored. Now it was _his_ fault the Preventers had showed up at all. He had one chance to get back in Decart's good graces. He had to get the girl back. That wasn't going to be easy. He had to find her first. Then he'd have to lure her away from wherever they were keeping her. Maybe her brainless parents could be used for that.

First things first, though. He'd been monitoring the agents that were swarming the chateau. They would be changing the guard, soon. He'd have fifteen minutes to slip through their perimeter and get to his vehicle, which he kept in another hidden cave on the other side of his property. The vehicles that were parked in front of the house were registered as belonging to people that didn't exist for just this reason. Those stupid Preventers would be on a wild goose chase for months before they figured that out.

He watched for his chance and took it. Once on the highway towards town, he allowed himself to breathe. He was smart. They wouldn't catch him. Even if the girl _did_ talk, she didn't know his real name. By the time she realized her stupidity, it would be too late for her. He hoped she enjoyed her freedom while she had it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Anything I should be aware of?" Quatre asked Wufei as he took over guard duty.

"No. Sally has her drugged but if she has another terror or if she wakes up we're to alert Sally immediately."

Quatre nodded. "Any word on how Heero's doing?"

"Duo told me he was doing fine. It was a short flash."

"Well, that's good. Will Duo be taking his shift after me or should I call Trowa?"

"Duo is planning on relieving you. Is there anything else you require?"

"No, thank you, Wufei."

Wufei nodded and left Quatre alone with the girl. Quatre sighed and sank into the chair. He wished the girl would wake up and talk to them. He jumped as his cell phone rang. Only a few people had this number.

"Yes?"

"Quatre? Is this a bad time?"

Quatre smiled. "Of course not, Iria. What can I do for you?"

Iria was one of the few sisters that cared whether or not they were interrupting something.

"Well, I have some news and…oh, Quatre! James and I are getting married!"

"That's wonderful!" Quatre meant it. He liked James. The man would take good care of his sister. And Iria sounded so happy that Quatre couldn't help but be happy for her. "When's the big day?"

"Not for a couple of months. I wanted to give you lots of notice so there are no excuses for you not to come, okay?"

Quatre shook his head. Iria knew him too well. It wasn't like he intentionally didn't come to family events, but things came up and he couldn't always rearrange his schedule. "I'll do my best."

"Good. Oh, and I want you to bring a date, okay?"

"What? Why?"

Iria sighed. "Quatre…I love you and I don't want to see you alone forever, okay? Besides, if you don't bring a date you know Talia will try to set you up with all the single girls that come. I'm doing you a favor."

"Thanks for the warning. I will do my best to find a date," Quatre promised. He'd rather bring someone on his own than to put up with his sisters pushing every single girl they could find at him.

Iria started in on the details she'd already approved and was starting in on a list of things she still had to do when Quatre's attention was pulled away by the girl.

She was shifting on the bed, as if trying to get comfortable. There was a small whimper followed by a gasp.

"Iria, I'm sorry to interrupt but something's come up, I have to go," Quatre quickly explained. He didn't want Iria to hear the girl scream and start asking questions he couldn't answer.

"Oh, okay…" Iria sounded disappointed.

"I'll call you back as soon as I can," Quatre promised.

"Okay," Iria answered more cheerfully. "I'll talk to you later little brother."

"Talk to you later, Iria." Quatre hung up and turned to the girl, biting his lip.

She had curled herself up into a ball, well as much of one as she could manage, and was crying silently. She was still asleep as far as he could tell and it worried him. He watched the tears drip down her cheek as he decided whether or not to alert Sally.

He had just decided not to bother when the girl went stiff and let out an ear-splitting scream. He pushed the button to alert Sally and gently placed a hand on the girl's arm. He tried to focus his thoughts to see if he could tell what she was dreaming about, but it didn't work. All he got was fear, pain, and enough loneliness to send his mind reeling.

Initially, he pulled his hand back but gritted his teeth and focused before touching her again. This time, instead of trying to read her, he tried to send thoughts of safety and comfort to her. He wanted her to know she was safe and had nothing more to fear. He wanted her to know he was concerned about her and that she wasn't alone. He could feel the fear, pain and loneliness flowing through her and mentally pushed his thoughts through.

He felt triumphant as the girl quieted and the troubled expression left her features. He could still feel fear and pain, but it was nowhere near as great as it was only moments before.

"That was incredible. What did you do?"

Quatre jumped at Sally's question. He'd been so intent on his experiment that he hadn't heard her come in.

"I…" The world spun and Quatre grabbed for the chair. He hadn't realized it would take so much out of him.

"Are you alright?"

Quatre nodded as he sat. "I've never tried that before. I didn't take into account possible side effects."

"What, exactly, _did_ you do?"

"I focused on pushing my thoughts into her. I wanted her to know she was safe and didn't have to be afraid. I wasn't sure it would actually do anything but I figured it was worth a shot."

"As amazing as it was, I don't think you should try that again any time soon."

"I'm fine, Sally. I probably just need something to eat, which I was going to order soon anyway," Quatre said, brushing off Sally's concern. His abilities were something he'd never taken the liberty to 'play' with before. It was tiring, but exhilarating at the same time. And if they let him get through to the girl and ease her suffering, it was worth whatever energy it cost him.

"Well, for the time being, if she has another terror, just let me drug her. You'll be no good as a guard if you're exhausted from trying to divert her fits or whatever it is you actually managed to do."

"Okay, Sally," Quatre conceded. She had a point, after all. That didn't mean he couldn't try it again after he was rested up, but Sally didn't need to know what he was planning.

Sally checked the girl before leaving. Quatre wasn't positive but he thought he heard her mutter "Stubborn Gundam pilots" as she left.

Quatre chuckled to himself and ordered something to eat before flipping through the stations on the television. Now he would get to see how long his little experiment would keep the girl from having another night terror. He would call Iria after his shift was over. Then she could tell him about wedding plans to her heart's content without being interrupted.

* * *

Heero woke with Duo curled up around him.

"Hey, babe…you feelin' better?"

"Yeah."

Duo gently rubbed Heero's arm. "I talked to the others. Wufei thinks maybe you shouldn't guard the girl anymore."

Heero frowned. "I can handle it."

"'Ro…how many times do I have to tell you that it's okay if you're not perfect?"

"That's not the point," Heero said, sitting up. "If I don't take my shifts then you have to cover for me and that isn't right."

"Actually, Heero, I think Wufei might be right. Hang on! Hear me out," Duo insisted as he sat up as well. "We talked earlier about seeing if there were any other witnesses living around that house we raided. I think you ought to do it. We all know that you won't overlook anything and if we can reassure the girl that we're doing everything we can to find these guys, maybe it'll get her to trust us enough to talk."

"You're assuming she'll ever wake up," Heero muttered.

"Don't think like that," Duo chided with a frown.

Heero sighed. "Sorry," he muttered. "Things look pretty hopeless right now. Sally said that the girl might be asleep because her body has decided it's _safer_ that way." Heero snapped his fingers. "That's it! That's what was so important! If she's asleep because it's safer it probably means she wasn't beaten for screaming in her sleep. The nightmares are a new development. Maybe…maybe the nightmares are her way of processing what happened to her and they developed because she realizes on a subconscious level that it's safe enough to begin the healing process. Sally said her body was functional, so she'll probably wake up when her mind is ready to deal with this on a conscious level." Heero leaned back against the pillows. "It's just a matter of time."

Duo smiled. "Well, in that case, don't you think we ought to try and get the dick that did this to her before then?"

Heero nodded. "I'll try to gather more information if you think that will be of the most use."

"Unless she wakes up and starts talking, that's our best bet for finding our guy."

"What about Une? She wanted us to guard the girl."

"She also wants us to solve this ASAP. The four of us can handle guarding her while you gather evidence. With her knee messed up it isn't like she'll be running out on us and since the five of us and Une and Sally are the only ones who know who she really is, keepin' her location a secret should be easy."

"I suppose," Heero said slowly. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and sat up again. "If I leave soon I can be back at the crime scene tonight."

"What? But we _just_ got home!" Duo protested.

"The sooner I gather intel the sooner I can be back," Heero pointed out. "And the sooner we wrap up this case the sooner we can go on that Alaskan fishing trip you've been hinting at for months."

"You mean it? We can go?" Duo threw himself at Heero, knocking his boyfriend back onto the bed, and kissed him soundly. "I love you," he murmured when they came up for air.

"I love you, too, Duo," Heero said, giving his boyfriend another peck on the lips. "I should go so I'm not trying to navigate those woods in the dark. With any luck the team there will have found something already and I won't be away long."

Duo nodded and rolled off his lover. "D'you want something to eat before you go?"

"That might not be a bad idea," Heero said as he got up and started throwing clothes in an overnight bag.

Duo grinned and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

The next two days went by slowly for Duo. Sure, he had time to finish the book he'd started last month and he got some time to play video games, but without Heero around, his life was pretty boring. The only 'work' he had to do was guard the girl. Really, guarding the girl consisted of watching television and waiting for her next night terror, which didn't happen nearly as often as they expected after Quatre's experiment. For some reason, she only had them when Wufei and Duo were on duty.

Wufei took it personally even though Quatre insisted that the girl wasn't conscious enough to control herself. Quatre secretly thought that Wufei shouldn't watch the girl because it obviously upset him, though Quatre couldn't pin down exactly why that was and Wufei certainly wasn't going to volunteer the information.

Sally found it interesting that the girl seemed to relax the most when Trowa and Quatre were on duty. From a medical standpoint, it made no sense. Well, it made sense with Quatre, given his experiment, but it didn't explain how she reacted to Trowa. She even asked them to change up the guard schedule just to see if that changed anything. Every time, without fail, she had a terror whenever Duo or Wufei stepped in, even for a few minutes.

"What do you think, Wufei?" she asked the third morning over breakfast.

Wufei shrugged. "It may have to do with the fact that they were the first to touch her after she was found. That's the only connection I can see."

"You know, you may have something there. Subconsciously, she knows they had the chance to hurt her and didn't. But really, it should be the same with you and Duo."

"I suppose…except…"

"Except what?"

Wufei sipped at his coffee. "Well…Duo was in a foul mood when they found her and I…well, you know how I get sometimes. She may not feel safe around us because neither of us were very patient that day. I think we scared her without meaning to."

"Oh." Sally was quiet for a few minutes while she sipped at her coffee. "Do you want me to ask if Quatre and Trowa will take over guard duty exclusively?"

"No. I don't think we need to go that far unless you feel that the sedative is going to do her harm."

Sally sighed. "Well…I think…I think we need to put her on a feeding tube. If she isn't going to wake up…"

"Hm…have you tried having Quatre ask her to wake up?"

"Do you think that would work?"

Wufei shrugged. "I don't see how it could hurt anything."

"He's on duty right now isn't he?"

"No. Trowa's on right now but Duo's next, so if she could wake up before his shift she might not have another terror today. I can call Quatre and have him meet us if you like."

Sally stood and gathered their breakfast dishes. "Let's get going, then. If Quatre _can_ get her to wake up, it'll be better to do it sooner rather than later."

* * *

"Thank you, Agent Coleman. I will be sure to give this report to Colonel Une." Heero dismissed the agent and finished packing the back of his vehicle. Internally, he was very disappointed with what they were able to find. There were no records of any kind at this location. He had been unable to trace the video feeds, which was annoying. And there were no neighbors for miles. So basically, the trip had been a waste of time. Heero closed the back hatch as a sleek black sports car pulled up.

He frowned. Nobody was supposed to be at the location except Preventers and no one drove a vehicle of that make as far as Heero could recall.

The door opened and a man got out. Heero sized him up. He was around 6'3", sandy brown hair beginning to gray at the temples, somewhere between 45 and 50 years old if Heero had to guess, and wearing a _very _expensive looking suit. The man looked at Heero, who was shorter by about five inches. "You there…who's in charge?"

"I am."

The man raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Do you expect me to believe that? Who is your commanding officer?"

"Colonel Une."

"I wish to speak to him."

Heero didn't like this man. "_She_ is back at headquarters. _I_ am Special Agent Yuy and _I _am in charge of this investigation. What do you want?"

The man cleared his throat. "My apologies. I am Donovan Chase. I am the lawyer for man who owns this house and he would like for you to leave."

"This is a crime scene. _You_ are actually trespassing at the moment."

The man frowned. "Where is the girl that was renting the home?"

Heero raised an eyebrow. "Classified." He didn't like the way this man just expected him to give out sensitive information.

The man pursed his lips and pulled an envelope out of an inner pocket on his suit coat. "This is an order for you to vacate the premises and turn the girl over to me. Immediately."

Heero took the envelope and immediately ripped it in half, letting the pieces flutter to the ground. "My orders come from Colonel Une not some jumped up lawyer in a cheap faux Armani suit. I suggest you leave before you are arrested for obstruction of justice."

Chase scowled. "This isn't over. I _will_ be speaking to your superiors about your unruly behavior."

Heero snorted. "Knock yourself out." 'Literally,' he mentally added.

Chase got into his car and sped away, the tires kicking up gravel and dirt as he did so.

"Who was the suit?" Agent Walters asked as he walked over.

"Claims he's the lawyer for the owner of the property."

Walters was surprised. "Let me guess, he didn't know anything about the bodies in the attic."

Heero shrugged. "I don't care. He's after that girl that was alive."

Walters swore. "Don't let him near her. Any guy that greasy is up to no good."

Heero nodded. "I need to get back and speak to Une before he ties up her time."

"Good luck, sir," Walters said with a salute.

Heero nodded his thanks and got into his car. As he drove, he wondered if the lawyer knew more than he was letting on.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"What do you think, Quatre? Will it work?"

Sally, Wufei, Quatre, Trowa and Duo were meeting in the girl's room.

"I don't know, Sally. I've never tried anything like this before. Don't be surprised if nothing happens."

"Quatre," Trowa said quietly, "will it hurt to try?"

Quatre shook his head with a small smile. "No. It won't hurt to try. Here goes nothing."

He took a moment to center his thoughts before touching the girl's arm. He could still feel fear and pain but it wasn't anything like when they first found her.

'Please wake up…you're safe now…we won't let anyone hurt you…we want to help you…please? Will you wake up?'

There wasn't a feeling of resistance like when he'd reassured her the other day, so he figured his thoughts were getting through to her, but whether or not she chose to believe him and wake up was an entirely different story. And what if she wasn't waking up because she was still too injured? He didn't want her to wake up if it was going to prevent her from healing.

He finished his mental mantra and pulled his hand away. It was up to her now.

"I think…that's all I can do," he muttered.

"Well, it was worth a shot," Sally said.

Quatre nodded and took a step towards the door but faltered. Trowa jumped to catch him.

"Sorry…thanks, Trowa," Quatre said quietly. "I'm not used to doing that."

Sally frowned. "Quatre, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, Sally, it's fine," Quatre insisted. "I'll just get something to eat and get some rest and I'll be fine."

"Well…if you notice any other negative side effects please let me know. I don't want you doing anything that could potentially damage your health."

"I will, Sally," Quatre promised.

Trowa opened the door to lead Quatre out and found Heero on the other side, hand poised to knock.

"Good, you're all here," Heero said as he entered.

Trowa shut the door.

"You're back!" Duo practically jumped into Heero's arms. "What did you find? Didja catch him?"

Heero embraced Duo, but Duo could tell his mind was elsewhere.

"What's wrong?"

Heero didn't answer right away. He was trying to put his thoughts together. "I just came from speaking with Une. When I was at the site, a man showed up claiming to be the lawyer for the owner of the property. He wanted me to turn the girl over to him."

Duo snorted. "Yeah right."

Heero nodded. "I warned Une that he would probably be coming to see her and she said she'd deal with it as she saw fit when the time comes. Because someone is trying to get her, I want to increase security. From now on, the six of us are the only ones allowed in."

"But what if she takes a turn for the worse?" Sally asked. "I might need help."

"I understand. That's why Wufei will no longer be on guard duty. He'll be your help if you need it."

Wufei was surprised. "Heero, I don't know if I know enough to fill in for actual medical personnel."

"I don't think it will be a problem. She's on the mend. It's only a matter of time before she wakes up."

Sally exchanged a look with Wufei. "Heero…before you came…I was about to give the girl a feeding tube. She isn't coming out of it."

Heero frowned. "Are you sure? Maybe we just need to be patient."

Sally shook her head. "She needs nourishment. The nutrient drip isn't going to cut it much longer. She's been starved for far too long. Had she been stronger to begin with, I wouldn't be so worried about it."

Heero grunted. "Then get the help you need to set her up and from that point on there will be no one else allowed. Agreed?"

"Are you certain that the lawyer will find out where she is?" Quatre asked. "Her records show she was in a car accident and has been treated for bulimia. And we changed her admission date and treatment information so it looks like she's been here for a couple of weeks already."

"I don't want to take any chances. She's the only lead we've got right now. We didn't find anything new at the site. Unless we get a lead elsewhere, she's _it_."

Sally sighed. "Okay, Heero."

"Sally…I think the girl is starting to wake up."

"What makes you say that, Quatre?"

Quatre shrugged. "She feels…different somehow. I can't really explain it. Maybe give her some time before you put the tube in. I might be wrong."

"What are you talking about?" Heero asked.

The others quickly filled him in on Quatre's 'experiment'.

"I'll give her some time if you go home and rest," Sally promised.

Quatre nodded and he and Trowa left.

Duo pouted. "You finally get home and I'm on guard duty. That sucks."

Heero smirked and gave his boyfriend a peck. "I'll be home when you get done. I've got some information to sort through, anyway."

"Fine," Duo groused. "I'll be watching TV all afternoon so if you get bored you can keep me company."

"Perhaps. It depends on how my research goes. I'll see you later."

Wufei and Heero left, discussing extra security measures, and Duo plopped himself into the chair. At least he had something to look forward to.

Sally was about to leave when she noticed movement on the bed. She motioned for Duo to be quiet and watched as the girl's eyes slowly opened. Sally shook her head in amazement. Quatre would be relieved.

Duo grinned. Now they'd get some answers and he could be done with this stupid guard assignment. He reached for his phone to call Heero and tell him the girl was awake, but Sally stopped him with a shake of her head. He frowned, but sat still in the chair and watched the girl.

The girl was looking at the bandages on her wrist with a frown. Sally approached cautiously and the girl's head snapped up. Sally smiled to set the girl at ease. It didn't work. The girl looked at Sally as though she expected to be hit.

Sally chose not to react to it. It was better to let the girl know she wasn't in trouble for her reaction. "It's good to see you've woken up. My name is Dr. Po. What's your name?"

The girl stared at Sally, uncertainty in her eyes.

Sally gave the girl a minute, not wanting to push her so early on. "It's okay. You can talk when you're ready."

Sally checked the machines and made notes on the clipboard. The girl was doing better, but she wasn't out of the woods just yet. She thought about what she was going to tell the girl. Sally didn't want to frighten her by accident. That could be harmful to her health at this stage. Moving slowly, Sally turned to face the girl. "You'll need to stay in bed for a couple of days. I'd rather not restrain you, but that's up to you. Stay in bed of your own accord and we won't use the straps, okay?" she said gently.

The girl seemed to think it over before giving Sally an almost imperceptible nod. She still looked like she expected to be beaten, but Sally was just glad she was responding.

Sally smiled. Maybe the girl just needed some encouragement. "You're recovering just fine. If you need anything the call button is here and the buttons to adjust the bed are here." The girl flinched when Sally got close as she showed the girl where the buttons were, but Sally ignored it. It was to be expected for now and if Sally got upset, it might make the girl retreat even farther. "I'll be back to check on you in a few hours so just take it easy, okay?"

The girl didn't react so Sally gave her another smile and left her with Duo. She had other things to attend to and perhaps the girl would respond to Duo's friendly disposition. And if not…well, they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

Duo watched the exchange from the chair on the other side of the room. He thought about grilling the girl, but figured it wouldn't hurt to let her wake up a little more. Some people weren't overly talkative when they first woke up. Hell, some mornings you couldn't get anything out of Heero except "Hn" until he had at least three cups of coffee in him.

He watched as the girl inspected her arm curiously before laying back on the pillow. She turned her head towards him and started. Her eyes widened and Duo frowned because she looked like she was about to cry. He hated that look. Maybe if he talked to her she wouldn't be so scared of him.

"So you finally decided to join the land of the living, huh? Well, that'll make Quatre and Trowa happy, anyway. They've been pretty worried about you." He stopped talking and stood up, stretching his arms above his head to get the kinks out of his back. He mentally cursed as she flinched. "You've been in and out for three days. My name's Duo by the way. Just so you know you're under 'round the clock supervision at least until you give us your statement."

There was no point in letting her worry about why he was there and it might set her at ease to know she was being protected. "We need to know how long you were there and what went on. It might be hard for you to talk about, but it'll help us get the baddies in jail, okay?"

The girl looked away. She still looked upset. Duo didn't know what he could do to make her feel better. He bit his lip and pulled his braid over his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay? You want me to get Sally?" The girl looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Well, it was a start, he supposed. "You're just…looking a little paler than usual is all." He started fidgeting with the end of his braid, a nervous habit he'd picked up over the years. "Do you even know _how_ to talk?"

The girl took a few seconds to respond, but she nodded once.

"Well that's good anyway. I'd hate to have to question you only to have you ignore me," Duo said with a grin. He frowned when she didn't react. "Hey, don't be so serious. I was trying to make you laugh. So, um…you don't feel like talking, I guess."

She stared at the ceiling. Duo sighed. He supposed he should have expected this. She wasn't exactly talkative when they first found her. What if she wasn't talking because she thought he was mad at her?

"Hey, don't worry about providing your statement right now. Sally says that you need to recover a bit before she'll let us interrogate you anyway so just do what she says and take it easy," Duo told her, trying to keep his voice light and friendly. "You'll like Sally. She's a great doctor. She'll have you fixed up in no time. You'll see. In a few weeks you'll probably be in such good shape you'd never guess you were so beat up." The girl closed her eyes. "Oh…okay then…"

Duo knew she was still healing and he mentally berated himself for tiring her out. He had a tendency to talk too much and he knew it. He just wanted her to feel safe around him so the distrust would leave her eyes. He sighed. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

He settled himself back into the chair and sent out a few texts to let Heero and Quatre know that the girl had woken up. He spent the rest of his shift texting back and forth with Quatre and watching television.

* * *

=Hey Quat she woke up

==Really? :D Did she talk?

=No.

== :(

=She was only up for about ten minutes.

=Maybe l8r?

==Maybe. I'll try when I come on shift.

Quatre closed his phone with a sigh. He knew it was too much to hope she'd start blabbing about everything that had happened to her, but he _had_ hoped she would tell them _something._ His phone alerted him to an incoming message.

He couldn't help but grin. Duo was bored and asking silly questions.

=Quat if you squeeze a cow will milk come out its nose?

==Don't you have to make it laugh for that to happen?

=What's a pirate's favorite movie?

==?

=One that's rated Arrrr!

==*facepalm* Really Duo? Where do you come up with this stuff?

=XD

=Hey Quat! What do you call a fly with no wings?

==I'm not sure…

=A WALK!

Quatre rolled his eyes.

==LOL

==What do you call a cow with no legs?

=Shorty?

==Ground beef.

Duo snorted. He had to think of a really good one now.

=Did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?

==No...

=Great food but no atmosphere!

==For a second I thought you were being serious.

=Haha…got ya!

==If they did build a restaurant on the moon, would you want to go there?

=After being held prisoner there, I don't think so. It'd be too weird.

==I agree. But I suppose other people might want to. Do you think it would be profitable?

The text conversation about the marketability of a moon-based restaurant continued as the girl slept. Duo was grateful she didn't have any more terrors. He hoped she would wake up while Quatre was there. Maybe she would be okay with talking to him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Did she wake up again?" Quatre asked when he relieved Duo of guard duty.

"Naw. She's still out but she didn't have any terrors either so somethin' worked."

Quatre nodded. It wasn't exactly what he'd hoped for, but at least it was a step in the right direction. He suspected her body was exhausted from trying to heal and it would be selfish to try and lure her awake again. Quatre settled into the chair with a book he'd been trying to finish.

Quatre was distracted from his book by movement on the bed. The girl looked like she was trying to get comfortable and failing miserably. The remote to adjust the bed was on her right side. Quatre frowned because her right arm was in a brace. She wouldn't be able to get to it. He watched her struggle for a second longer. He wasn't trying to be mean, he just wanted to see if she could do it on her own first. When it was obvious she couldn't find it, he carefully approached the bed.

"You look uncomfortable. This should help," he said with a smile as he placed the remote into her left hand. He felt a stab of sorrow when she flinched, but his fingers brushed her skin as she took the remote and he felt a little wariness but not as much fear as before and it gave him hope.

The girl nodded and adjusted the bed. Quatre remained silent as she performed her task. He wanted to give her the chance to speak first. She didn't.

After a few minutes of silence, Quatre decided to try and coax her into a conversation.

"Duo said you woke up earlier. Are you feeling better now?"

The girl didn't respond right away. Quatre was about to give up when she nodded.

He smiled. "I'm glad. My name's Quatre. What's yours?"

The girl turned her head and looked at the wall. Quatre felt fear coming from her again. He frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

The girl slowly turned back and gave him a weak smile.

Quatre thought for a second. Did this mean she didn't _want_ to talk or that she _couldn't_ talk? Either way, he didn't want to push her and have her completely ignore him. "I understand," he said with a smile. "I'll try to stick with yes or no questions so you don't have to talk, okay?"

The girl nodded.

Quatre wanted to jump with happiness. He was making progress! "Great! So are you hungry?"

The girl waited a minute before shrugging.

Quatre was sure she'd be starving and would admit it easily. "You're not used to eating regularly are you?" he asked gently.

She shook her head slightly.

Quatre frowned and the girl cringed. He immediately schooled his features and apologized. "I'm sorry. Look, if you're hungry you can eat, okay? You don't have to wait for someone to offer."

The girl flinched when he snapped his fingers. He ignored it and looked through the drawer in the table next to the bed. He grinned as he found a pad of paper, a pen and the cafeteria menu.

"I know Sally will want you to eat foods that won't upset your stomach until you get used to eating again. I recommend soup and toast." He didn't add that if she refused to eat, Sally was going to give her a feeding tube. He didn't want her to feel like she was being forced to eat.

He scanned the menu, trying to decide what to suggest for her to eat. He didn't want to make her sick on top of everything else. He thought back to the end of the war, when Dorothy had run him through with a fencing foil. That had been miserable for him. He'd had to have surgery to repair his intestines and then he'd been on a nutrient drip for a week. After that it had been a strict diet of liquids that were room temperature for another week. He was allowed to eat warm soup and ice cream after that but it was a month before he was allowed to eat anything resembling solid foods. Even applesauce had been pushing it. At least the girl's only restriction would be something light that wouldn't hurt her stomach to digest. Soup would be good for that.

"Looks like they have chicken noodle, clam chowder and tomato today. Do any of those sound good?"

The girl stared at him. He handed her the paper and pen, which she carefully took with her left hand. She looked like she thought they would bite.

"Do you know how to write?" Quatre didn't want to rule out the possibility that that was the cause of her hesitation and he didn't want to embarrass her.

The girl nodded with a slight frown.

Quatre grinned, hoping it would encourage her to relax. "Why don't you write down which one you want and I'll get someone to bring it up, okay?"

After a failed attempt at writing with her right hand, which was immobilized by the shoulder brace, the girl sighed and picked up the pen with her left. Quatre watched as the girl slowly and laboriously wrote something. He looked at what she wrote, taking his time to decipher it. 'Chicken.' It looked like a four year old wrote it, but he nodded.

"Writing with your non-dominant hand will take some getting used to, but at least your writing is still legible," he told her. He added "I have a hard time deciphering Duo's chicken scratch."

That last bit wasn't 100% true, but he wanted to encourage her to keep trying. And there were times that Duo got in a hurry and Quatre really couldn't read what he wrote.

He went to the phone and ordered food to be brought up for the both of them. Just as he finished ordering, there was a light knock on the door. Sally came in as he was hanging up.

"Hello, Sally."

"Hi, Quatre." She faced the girl, glad to see she was awake. "How are you feeling?"

The girl looked down before picking up a pen and writing on a pad of paper. She held up the paper so Sally could see.

'OK'

Sally grinned. At least the girl was responding now. "Still not talking? But I suppose that's to be expected, given what you've been through. I assume they didn't want you to talk much."

The girl looked down and shook her head. Sally carefully moved next to the girl and put her hand under the girl's chin, gently lifting her face.

Sally made sure the girl was looking at her before saying, "You don't have to be afraid anymore. I promise I won't get mad at you." She kept her voice serious but gentle. The girl needed to understand she was safe.

The girl turned her head, pulling her chin out of Sally's grasp.

"It's okay. I understand that you don't trust me yet," Sally assured her, trying to keep her disappointment in check. She knew she shouldn't expect so much so fast, but it was hard to be patient when the girl was the only one who knew who had done this to her. Sally wanted him caught before he could find another victim.

"We've ordered dinner. Would you care to stay and join us?" Quatre asked, trying to lighten the heavy mood in the room.

"You didn't order her anything too heavy did you?" Sally demanded. She didn't want the girl to be teased with food she wasn't allowed to have. It would be cruel on too many levels.

"No. Of course not. She picked chicken soup and I ordered her some crackers as well," Quatre answered, careful to keep his voice light. He hadn't missed the terror that crossed the girl's face at Sally's tone. He'd have to remember to mention it to her later. They'd _all_ have to be careful not to let the girl think they were angry when they weren't.

"Well, I can see you're in good hands," Sally told the girl gently.

The girl looked up and Sally smiled, hoping to set her at ease.

"I've got you on a nutrient drip so you don't need to worry about getting all the food groups in right away. But I'm going to leave a list of foods you can eat so you don't upset your digestive tract right off. Based on your physical evaluation you haven't been eating regularly and you'll need to ease into heavy foods," Sally explained. She wanted the girl to understand _why_ there were certain foods she wouldn't be allowed to eat right away.

Sally looked at her clipboard. She had a list of questions to ask the girl. Some came from Colonel Une, but most were so Sally could try to counteract whatever had been done to her. She didn't particularly _want_ to ask the girl all of these questions right off, but it wouldn't hurt to ask a few and see how much the girl was willing to reveal at this early stage.

She looked up at the girl. "I need to ask you a few questions and I'll try to keep them yes or no, but there are some you'll have to write the responses to. There are no wrong answers and I want you to be honest, okay?"

Sally hoped the girl hadn't been brainwashed on top of everything else.

The girl took a shaky breath and nodded, fear evident on her face.

Sally decided to start with something easy. "Do you know how old you are?"

The girl bit her lip and wrote on the paper. She looked nervous as she showed Sally what she'd written.

'19?'

Sally was surprised. "You're not sure?"

The girl shook her head, still looking like she thought she was in trouble.

"Do you remember how old you were when you were picked up?" Sally asked, cocking her head so that the girl would realize that Sally was curious and she wasn't in trouble for not knowing.

A small amount of fear left the girl's face as she nodded.

"Do you remember the approximate date or the year?"

Again, the girl nodded. Sally was pleased that she didn't hesitate as much as she had before.

"The current date is April 24th, 202. Does that help?"

The girl nodded and crossed off the question mark.

Sally was surprised. She didn't look that old, but then she wasn't exactly healthy, either. Maybe once they got some meat on her bones and got rid of that haunted look she wouldn't look so much like a lost child.

Quatre watched the exchange without interrupting. If the girl was comfortable responding to Sally, who was he to butt in? However, Quatre could feel sadness seeping into the girl. Something was upsetting her, but what it was, he had no clue. Maybe Sally's questions would reveal the answer.

Sally frowned as the girl, young woman really, continued to look at the paper in her lap. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

The girl didn't respond. Sally wasn't sure why she still thought of her as a girl, but she didn't see a point in dwelling on it right now. She shot a look at Quatre who could only shrug. He didn't know what was upsetting the girl either.

Sally carefully touched the girl's shoulder to get her attention. The girl jumped and her head snapped up to see who was touching her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sally asked gently. "You kind of spaced out there for a minute."

The girl nodded, unshed tears threatening to fall. She blinked them back and looked back at her lap for a moment.

"If you're sure you're okay…"

The girl nodded, still looking at the blanket. Sally decided to ask another question. If the girl wasn't up to answering, she would let it wait for another day but she wanted to take advantage of the girl's cooperation as long as it lasted.

"How many different locations do you remember being in?"

'1'

"Can you tell me how long you were there?"

'5 yrs.'

Sally was shocked. "That long?"

The girl nodded.

"I'm sorry, but it's surprising because…do you realize how fortunate you are?"

Okay, maybe fortunate was the wrong word but Sally was certain that this girl's rescue was nothing short of miraculous. Apparently the girl was confused by Sally's choice of words, so Sally chose to explain.

"You were 14 when you were taken right? Most children who are taken into this type of human trafficking ring are sold almost immediately into the sex or slave trades. The longest I've heard of any of them staying within the confines of the original house is six months. And the fact that he didn't… It's just unbelievable."

The girl bit her lip and thought this over. She slowly picked up the pen and wrote 'he tried.'

Sally felt her stomach drop. "Is that why he beat you?"

The girl looked uncomfortable as she nodded.

Quatre could feel the girl's inner turmoil at answering Sally's questions and, quite frankly, it was making him nauseous. Maybe if he stood guard outside for a few minutes it would go away. It might make the girl more comfortable answering Sally's questions, too. His curiosity was getting the better of him, though, so he went over and glanced at the paper.

Five years?! She'd been there for five years? It made him wonder how long this had been going on _before_ she was involved. It made him sick to think about. And how had she not been…he shook his head with a frown and left the room. He needed to talk to Heero.

Leaning against the wall, Quatre tried to call Heero, only to be met with his voicemail.

"Heero…I need to talk to you. The girl woke up and is…communicating with Sally. I think there's more to this than we currently know. Call me when you get the chance."

Quatre hung up and considered going back inside, but decided that he would give them a few minutes. There were things females were not comfortable discussing in front of men and Quatre certainly didn't want to walk in on one of those conversations. He figured he could give them until their dinners showed up.

* * *

Sally watched Quatre leave. "Okay, so let's get the personal questions out of the way while he's gone."

Sally explained about her examination and how it revealed that the girl hadn't been raped. She also explained that she was going to ask some _very_ personal questions and for the girl not to be embarrassed about answering them because it would help Sally to evaluate her health.

The girl nodded and Sally proceeded with her questions. Some of them were easy enough to answer, others…well…not so much. Some of them made the girl blush with embarrassment, but she answered them. The girl had a hard time writing out the answers but Sally kept asking, partially because she wanted to make sure the girl got the medical attention she needed and partially because she wasn't sure when the next time was they were going to have enough privacy for them to talk about these kinds of things.

Sally could tell she wasn't the only one relieved when they finished that round of questions. "Do you remember where you were living when you were taken?"

The girl nodded.

"Do you think your family would still be there?"

She didn't respond right away. Sally wasn't sure why it would take so long for her to think about it and was about to stop questioning her when she wrote '?.'

"Well, how about you give me your address and your parents' names and I'll look into it."

The girl shook her head emphatically.

That surprised Sally. "You don't want them to know you're okay?"

She watched the girl writing laboriously for what seemed like a long time.

'I don't want him to find me.'

Sally deciphered the writing and asked, "Who?"

'Perdu.'

A name! Now they were getting somewhere. "Is he the one that did this to you?"

The girl nodded and flinched as Sally frowned. Sally inwardly cursed and hoped she hadn't scared the girl into refusing to answer any more questions.

"I'll have Heero bring some pictures by and you can see if you can point him out. That name wasn't on any of our intel lists so I assume he used an alias with you in case you ever got away from him."

The girl thought this over and nodded. Sally was relieved. They both jumped at the knock on the door.

Quatre entered, followed by an orderly who was carrying trays of food.

Sally had a few more questions to ask the girl, but they could wait. She'd gotten the important ones out of the way. "Great timing," she told Quatre with a smile as she gathered up the papers with the girl's answers. She wanted to show them to Une and have them filed as part of the investigation. "We'll talk again later. I don't want to wear you out," she told the girl.

The girl didn't respond, she was busy attempting to massage her hand. Sally felt a little guilty for pushing her so hard, but it had to be done. Had the girl chosen to talk it could have been avoided. Giving Quatre a tired smile, she left the two alone and headed for her office to call Colonel Une and fill out a report.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Colonel Une…a Mr. Donovan Chase to see you, Ma'am."

Colonel Une had been expecting this since Heero talked to her the day before. "Show him in, Grace."

The door opened and her secretary led in the lawyer her top agent had warned her about.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Colonel," Chase greeted her smoothly with his hand outstretched.

Une politely shook his hand and gestured for him to sit. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Chase?"

"I'm afraid I have a bit of a complaint about some of your agents."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You see, I represent a Mr. Joseph Whitaker. He owns a piece of property near the Mount Wilson Observatory and, unfortunately, it is currently overrun with Preventer Agents. He would like them to leave. When I presented the agent in charge with an order to vacate the premises, he refused."

"What reason do my agents have for being there?" Une knew exactly what he was talking about. She just wanted to hear his theory.

"I'm sure I don't know. What I do know is Mr. Whitaker was renting the property to a student who is currently missing. He received a very distressed call from her when the agents showed up but no one has heard from her since."

"She's missing?"

"Yes…in fact, I had hoped your agents had brought her in for questioning or something. Her family is quite concerned about her."

"Well that _is_ a problem. I'm afraid I haven't heard from my agents out in the field yet today. However, if you would like to leave me your contact information I will look into this personally and get back to you as soon as I possibly can."

The lawyer gave her a greasy smile and passed her a business card. "Thank you, Colonel. I look forward to hearing from you."

Colonel Une saw him out before calling Heero to her office. They needed to decide how best to deal with this new development.

* * *

Quatre carefully approached the girl and slid the tray onto her lap. The girl looked up at him as if asking if the food was really for her. Quatre hated that. He pushed the feeling away and chuckled instead. He didn't want her to know he was upset. It might make her retreat and she was doing so well.

"Sorry your hand is sore. I'll try to stick to yes or no questions and give you a break."

The girl looked at the small bowl of soup, crackers and cup on her plate. She cautiously reached for the cup, watching Quatre the whole time to make sure she wasn't doing something wrong. She took a sip and her eyes widened. Quatre had ordered her a soda instead of water, just to see how she would react.

"Is that okay? I can get you something else if you'd prefer."

The girl gave him a shy smile and took another sip. He grinned back at her and turned his attention to his own tray. He felt a little guilty because all she got was soup and crackers whereas he had rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes. He probably should have ordered the same thing that he got for her but there were few things on the hospital menu that he could stomach anymore. And he _did_ let her pick what kind of soup she wanted.

He carefully watched her out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know if she would need help but he didn't want her to feel self-conscious about eating, especially when she really needed to. He wasn't sure what her meal times had been like in the last five years and he didn't want to do something that would scare her and make her stop eating.

She seemed to like the soup, which was good, but something in the way she was eating bothered Quatre. It was like…like she wanted to swallow it in one gulp but it was too hot. He also noticed that she was watching him like a hawk. He focused and could feel wariness in her and it made him wonder if her food had been taken away from her before she got the chance to finish. She nibbled on a cracker, still watching him, and he chose not to pay attention to it. He wanted her to feel safe and if she needed to size him up for that to happen, he would let her. He waited for five minutes after she stopped eating to speak to her.

"Did you get enough to eat?"

She nodded. Quatre smiled as he took the tray. She hadn't hesitated that time. He left her drink on the table next to her so she could have it later if she wanted. Sally still had her on a drip so any liquids would only be helpful. And he hoped it would help her to understand that he wasn't going to snatch her food away from her. He left the tray on a table near the door. He could pass them off to an orderly after he finished his meal or take them back to the cafeteria on his way out. He was tempted to leave the leftover crackers for the girl as well but decided that he would rather order her fresh food every time. Of course, if she asked him for the crackers he would gladly give them to her rather than making her wait for new food to arrive.

Turning back to the girl he said, "Sally suggested having you eat several small meals a day rather than just two or three large ones, so we'll get you something else in a few hours if you want."

The girl didn't react to this. Quatre had hoped she would initiate conversation once she had been fed, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. He wondered how he could make her feel more at ease. She had been grilled by Sally for quite some time…maybe she was afraid he was going to do the same?

Well, if she wasn't going to talk, he would _have_ to ask her questions. But maybe he could leave the interrogation until later, when she was more comfortable around him. He resumed his seat and took a bite of chicken while he figured out how to approach this without scaring her. He supposed he could try to get to know her. If they could find a mutual topic of interest, maybe she would feel comfortable enough to ask him questions as well.

"Do you like to read?"

The girl seemed startled at his question, but she thought it over before nodding.

"What about music? Do you like music?"

Yes.

"Movies?"

Again, yes.

"What about sports? Do you like football?"

No. Well, Quatre supposed he had asked her two questions. Perhaps she was responding to the second one.

"Soccer?"

Again, no.

"Baseball? Basketball?"

The girl shook her head. He had hoped that the girl would show enough interest in one of those subjects to start talking about it. Maybe if he had more specifics he could lure her into a conversation, but guessing would take forever and likely just bore her.

"Well, maybe later I'll have you write out a list of stuff you'd like to read or watch or listen to, but I won't make you do it now. I know how boring it is to sit here and do nothing."

The girl immediately looked down and flinched as though she had just been yelled at. Quatre mentally groaned. He'd done it now.

"I didn't mean it like that," he clarified quickly. "What I mean is that I've had my share of hospital stays. So have the others, so we get it that you'll be bored with nothing to do."

The girl lifted her eyes a little, staring at him intently. Quatre let the one-sided conversation drop before he really put his foot in it. He finished off his food and put his tray with hers. He headed back to his chair, grabbing the television remote on the way. Sitting in silence would be awkward. He bet she hadn't been allowed to watch much television and might enjoy it.

"Why don't we see if there's anything good on for a bit and give you a rest from answering all these questions, eh?"

The girl seemed to be okay with it, so Quatre pushed the power button and immediately wished he hadn't. The news was on, which was airing a story on the satellite acquisition he was supposedly heading up. Actually, his sisters were doing all of that but as the heir to the corporation technically he was supposed to be the only one with the authority for any such additions to the company. What no one outside of his family and _very_ close friends realized was that he'd signed over authority to some of his sisters while he was working with the Preventers. The news showed a stock photo of him and he flipped the channel quickly.

Part of him wanted her to see who he was and part of him didn't. He hated it when girls found out he was a multimillionaire because they started squealing and fawning over him. But part of him thought he might be okay with it if it made her trust him enough to start talking.

"See anything you want to watch?" Quatre asked as he flipped through the channels. He glanced at her and she stared blankly at him.

"Nothing? I guess we could always watch the hockey game," he teased, hoping it would at least get her to shake her head 'no.'

He blinked in surprise when the girl slowly nodded. "You like hockey?"

The girl graced him with another shy grin and a small nod.

He chuckled. Progress! "Who'd've guessed?"

He made himself comfortable, well as comfortable as he could in the hospital chair, and they watched the game in silence. Focusing on her emotions, Quatre was pleased to feel that she was relaxed. Not quite content, but definitely closer to it than she'd been since they found her. He wondered how long it would last.

* * *

Sally called Une after compiling her notes.

"Yes?"

"It's Sally. Do you have a few minutes?"

"I'm currently in conference with Agent Yuy."

"That's perfect. This information is pertinent to him as well."

"I've put you on the vid screen. Continue."

"Thank you. I wanted to talk to you about the girl…well…I guess she's really a young woman since she's nineteen."

Une raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

Sally continued. "She still isn't talking, but I did get her to communicate through writing. According to what she told me she was there for five years—"

Heero swore, Sally ignored it.

"—and the reason he beat her was because she wouldn't let him rape her. I think…I think he must have starved her to try to get her to cooperate because…she hasn't had a period in over three years. Since she obviously wasn't pregnant it must be because her body weight was too low at that point."

Heero looked confused.

Colonel Une cleared her throat. "Just to clarify for Agent Yuy: when a woman is of child bearing age her body must meet certain requirements for her to have a cycle. One of those requirements is for her body to retain enough fat to create an environment for a fertilized egg to survive. Fat is also necessary for estrogen production, which is vital to maintaining pregnancy. If her body can't support the egg, it stops ovulating until such time as her body is again capable. General consensus is that a girl must weigh a minimum of 90 lbs. for this to be possible, though that is not a reliable guideline by any means. There's more to it than that, but you get the idea."

Heero nodded his understanding. Who knew females were so complicated?

"Continue Sally."

"I have another theory…about why he starved her to such a point."

"Oh?"

"It's possible that he wanted to make sure he couldn't get her pregnant. It seems a bit of a long shot but it's not unheard of. It would make it easier for him or anyone else to use her without any means of protection over a long period of time if there was no chance of pregnancy getting in the way. It's disgusting…but then…this whole business is."

Une nodded. "Since she wasn't actually raped, there's no real way of knowing whether that is the case until we get the bastard in custody and interrogate him."

"Or we get our hands on the video feeds from that house," Heero put in.

"True," Une conceded. "What else did she tell you, Sally?"

"She didn't want me to contact her family."

"That seems odd," Heero said with a frown.

"She seemed to be afraid that if she told me where her parents were, the man who took her would be able to find her again."

"Which means she was probably snatched close to her home."

"That's what I thought, too, Heero. I told her I would have you come by with some books of suspects. She agreed to point out her captor. I'd prefer if you waited until tomorrow, though, to let her get used to being here. She's still pretty jumpy. I think if she feels safe she might actually talk to us. And her body needs rest so I doubt she'll even stay awake very long today."

"Acceptable."

"Was there anything else?" Colonel Une asked.

"She gave me the name of the man who was holding her hostage. If I'm deciphering her writing correctly, his name is Perdu."

Heero frowned.

"That name wasn't one I remembered so I assumed he gave the girl an alias in case she ever escaped."

Heero swore. "I'll get the books to her first thing in the morning. We need to know who he is."

"Just be careful not to push her too hard," Sally warned. "She's still pretty scared of everything. I wouldn't be surprised if she has second thoughts about telling us all of this. He's done a number on her psyche."

"Fine," Heero spat.

"I mean it, Heero! Quatre frowned and she looked like she thought he was about to beat her within an inch of her life. You _will not_ do anything to frighten that poor girl into cooperating or so help me—"

"Enough," Colonel Une interrupted. "Sally, I'm sure Agent Yuy and the others will keep her needs in mind as they interact with her. However, I would like to reiterate the need for urgency in this case. Whoever this Perdu person is he's out there and likely finding more unfortunate victims. We need the girl to cooperate."

"The best way to get her to cooperate is to make her feel safe. She won't feel safe as long as she's terrified."

"How do you know she isn't just being difficult?" Heero asked, scorn evident in his tone.

"Because she's communicating even though it's blatantly obvious that she's terrified. She's hesitant but she still answers our questions. Patience is going to be key. If we're impatient it will make her withdraw and we won't get anything out of her. Trowa said it best: she needs to speak to us on her terms, not ours."

There was silence as Une and Heero considered this.

"Agreed. But I will _encourage_ her to cooperate," Heero said.

Sally sighed. She supposed that was as good as it was going to get with Heero. Really, that much of a concession was an improvement from when he first joined the Preventers. Back then it was fierce interrogation until he got the information he was after. It didn't matter if the informant needed sleep, food or medical attention. Heero got what he needed first.

"Since that's settled, if there's nothing else?" Colonel Une asked, breaking the silence.

"I think that's everything for now," Sally said.

"Thank you, Sally. Please keep me informed of any new developments."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sally ended the call and leaned back in her office chair as she thought. This could go one of two ways: Heero would either go easy on the girl and they could get all the information they needed or he could lose his temper and she would retreat past recovery. Perhaps she should discuss it with Quatre. He might be able to keep the former Wing pilot in check.

Only time would tell...

* * *

Quatre was pleased. The girl seemed to be enjoying the hockey game. Every time the L.A. Kings scored a goal, he felt a hiccup of happiness radiate from her. It seemed she favored them over the L1 Gunrunners. He wondered if he could use that to get her talking.

The game was almost over when there was a knock on the door and Duo poked his head in.

"Hey, Quat! Heero wants to talk to you for a minute." He approached the trays on the table and wrinkled his nose. "I can't believe you're making her eat this."

"It's not as bad as most hospital food," Quatre told him with a shrug as he gathered up the trays. If he was going out he might as well get rid of them. The girl hadn't shown any interest in more food but he supposed that was to be expected. She probably didn't dare ask for any more. Quatre made a mental note to offer her something when he got back. Perhaps a dessert-type treat like ice cream or pudding that would be easy on her stomach but filling at the same time.

"Whatever you say, man. I just know that I'm not risking my taste buds on it."

Quatre left and Duo plopped himself into the chair. He sized up the girl for a second before asking, "You talkin' yet?"

The girl shook her head. Duo shrugged and checked what she was watching on the television. A hockey game? Well it was better than Desperate Housewives of L4. And the Gunrunners were playing. Sweet.

"Aww come on! How could he miss that shot?"

Duo grumbled under his breath about the poor playing before grabbing the remote. Nobody he knew liked the Kings so Quatre _must_ have been watching the Gunrunners.

He caught a glimpse of the girl out of the corner of his eye as he moved to change the channel. She looked sad. "You're not really watchin' this are you?"

She nodded and looked down at her blanket.

"But the Gunrunners are losing. Don't tell me you like L.A.!" Duo protested.

The girl moved her head up and down once before cautiously looking back up at the television as the announcer excitedly reported another goal for the Kings.

Duo sat back down and leaned back in the chair, considering her carefully. She was probably feeling more comfortable around him if she was willing to watch the game instead of cower on the bed.

"Man, I knew I should've let Trowa watch you until Quatre gets back," he told her jokingly. "He doesn't care who wins as long as it _isn't_ the Gunrunners. I think he's never gotten over that bet he lost when they played against the Street Rats and they won with a lucky shot during sudden death overtime."

The Kings were leading by more than 30 points. Duo rolled his eyes dramatically and looked at the girl, who twitched a little but didn't react as strongly as she usually did.

"Man, this is embarrassing. You know the Kings are gonna win. You sure you wanna finish watchin' this bloodbath?"

The girl didn't answer. She closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

"Huh…well how do you like that?" Duo asked the thin air. He considered changing the channel but decided not to in case she woke up. He was sure she wasn't feigning sleep because her breathing was too even. But he didn't know how lightly she slept when she wasn't drugged or completely exhausted and he figured it wouldn't hurt to leave the television alone for a few minutes at least.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So this chapter is a bit shorter than I originally intended. My sister came to visit with her four kids and I haven't had as much time to work on it as I wanted. She's staying for a month so I don't know how much I'll get done until she leaves. Thanks again to everyone reading! **

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Quatre met Heero in the hall. "Duo said you wanted to see me?"

Heero nodded and led the blonde to an empty room down the hall. "I've just spoken with Une and Sally about the girl," he said, shutting the door. "What are your thoughts on her?"

"She's still scared, but I think she isn't as scared of _us_ as she was before."

Heero nodded. "Sally said she was there for five years."

"Yes…and that's what I called you about earlier. Five years of being held prisoner in a sex ring and she wasn't assaulted? That seems really fishy to me."

Heero nodded. "I agree. Either she wasn't there for that or she's lying."

Quatre frowned. "She_ isn't_ lying."

"So you say," Heero answered dismissively. "The point is that we need her to _talk_ to us and tell us _everything_ that went on while she was there. She's our only lead at this point."

"If you think she's lying what good would it do for her to tell us what went on?" Quatre snapped.

"Okay fine…for now, let's say she's telling the truth. We'll sort out the lies later."

Quatre frowned. "Heero…"

"Just…get her to talk, Quatre. Sally asked me to come by tomorrow with the books for this case."

"Start with one."

It was Heero's turn to frown. "The sooner she looks at them the better."

"Start. With. _One. _I'm not going to destroy her mental and emotional health further just to get an asshole in jail."

"The sooner she cooperates the sooner she can stop being afraid of him."

"She _will_ cooperate unless you push her too much. You could make her sick and then she'll be completely useless."

Heero grunted. Quatre knew logic would win him over.

"Heero…I want this case finished as much as you do but the girl isn't like us. She isn't physically strong but she _has_ managed to survive a very deadly environment for longer than she should have. Her will to survive must be stronger than we know. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the only thing that kept her alive."

"I will bring _one_ book tomorrow. But if she is up to it, I want her to look at more."

"That's fine, Heero. Just let her set the pace. She needs to be able to trust us or she'll never recover. I know Sally's still worried about her even if she hasn't come out and said it."

Heero nodded.

"Another thing…any negative body language frightens her. Even frowning makes her cringe. It doesn't matter if you're actually angry; she thinks you're going to hit her."

"Hm…I will try to keep that in mind."

"Thank you, Heero."

"If you notice anything else, alert me immediately."

Heero opened the door and the two Preventers headed back to the girl's room. Quatre knocked and waited for Duo to open the door.

"All set?" Duo asked as Quatre came in.

"Yes. How is she doing?"

"Fell asleep a couple minutes ago."

Quatre nodded. "Okay. Did she seem okay to you?"

"You mean other than actually _liking_ the Kings?" Duo shrugged. "She seemed fine to me. Still not talking…still jumping at every little thing. But she did seem to be a bit more comfortable around me than usual, so I guess she's getting used to us."

"Great. Thank you, Duo."

"No problem. I'll see you in a few hours when I come on shift."

"See you."

Once alone with the girl, Quatre silently made his way over to her bed. He carefully brushed her arm with his fingers. She felt so peaceful compared to the first time he'd felt her emotions. Sure, she was still a little stressed but he supposed he couldn't expect her to be completely at ease just yet. As long as they were making progress, Quatre was happy.

* * *

The girl slept peacefully for the rest of Quatre's shift. Duo spent the first half of his shift being very bored. Television programming had been taken over by telemarketing. It didn't help that he'd turned off half the lights so the girl would stay asleep. The boredom was making him want to sleep. Too bad his stomach was in the mood to remind him it was empty.

"I can't believe people pay money for this shit," he groused as he flipped through the channels _yet_ again.

A light knock on the door was a welcome distraction.

"Hey 'Ro! Didn't expect to see you!"

Heero came into the room. "I brought some videos for you…I figured the television wouldn't have anything on this late."

Duo grinned at his boyfriend. "Aw…you are too sweet sometimes, you know that? You didn't happen to bring me any dinner, did you?"

Heero frowned. "No. I thought you would have ordered from the cafeteria."

Duo sighed. "I know. I just…after that six months I spent in this hell-hole I can't stomach it anymore."

Heero nodded, remembering that botched mission. They were taking out an illegal military installation in the Sudan. Duo's team was supposed to sneak in, set some dynamite to lure everyone out of the building and fall back while the other teams rushed the joint. Some cocky greenie had insisted on setting the charges and had placed one too close to Duo's location. Duo had thrown himself over one of his subordinates and taken the full brunt of the blast himself. Aside from the foot of hair singed off his braid, he'd suffered 3rd degree burns over his back and legs and had to have skin grafts to repair the damage. Once Duo had been released from the hospital it was another eight months of physical therapy before he was considered fit for duty again. The first week he'd been in the hospital had been pure agony for Heero. They weren't sure he was going to make it. His first day home, Duo had insisted on eating an entire large pizza in order to "reset his taste buds" and hadn't touched hospital food without adamant protest since.

"What would you like? I can get you something."

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I'm to the point that I'm so hungry nothing sounds good."

"Do you want me to pick you out something?"

"Would…would you mind watchin' the kid for about twenty minutes and I'll head to the diner down the street and get something? I'm hoping that something pops off the menu at me."

"I suppose…"

"She hasn't been having near as many terrors as she was before. And she's been sleeping since before Quat left so—"

"It's fine, Duo. But hurry…just in case."

Duo pecked Heero on the cheek. "Want me to bring you some pie or somethin'?"

Heero shook his head. "I'm good."

"Right. Sally's at the nurse's station if you need her. Back in a few!" Duo waved on his way out the door.

Heero silently flipped through the stations. He was right about there being nothing on. He picked out one of the movies and put it in. Duo could change it after he left if he didn't like it. As the movie started he heard rustling coming from the bed.

The girl was tossing and turning, her breathing becoming more erratic as time passed. He stood over her and debated how to wake her. She screamed.

"HEY!" he yelled, shaking her shoulder. He probably shouldn't have grabbed her sore shoulder, but it was closest to him and he thought that the pain might wake her up a little quicker.

The girl's eyes popped open and she immediately stopped screaming. She sat up and looked around the room, her eyes a little unfocused. She had beads of sweat on her forehead. She calmed down and leaned back against the pillows. She looked up at him, flinching as she did so.

He wanted to frown, but remembered Quatre's warning. The lights were low so he wasn't sure how much of his face she could really see, but he decided not to risk Quatre's wrath.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded after a moment of thought. Perhaps she wasn't so difficult to handle after all. Maybe it was like that movie Duo liked so much. He just had to ask the right questions before he could get into the labyrinth that was the girl's mind.

"Was it a nightmare?"

Again, the girl nodded, though this time with a little less hesitation.

"I'll be right back." Heero went out to the nurse's station.

"Heero? I didn't know you were here," Sally greeted him.

"Duo needed to get some dinner so I'm watching the girl until he gets back."

"Is something wrong?"

Heero nodded. "She's having nightmares. I thought you could give her something to help her sleep a little better."

"Are they that bad?"

"You didn't hear her scream?"

"I was with another patient. I only got back just now."

Heero nodded. "Well…I got her to wake up but I don't know if she'll sleep again. Quatre said she needs to rest or she'll get sick and won't be of any use to the investigation. We can't have that. She's our only lead on this and if we can't stop him—"

"I understand Heero. Relax. I want that bastard found as soon as possible, too. I'll give her something but you have to promise me that you won't get worked up over this investigation. You know Duo worries that the stress will make you flash."

Heero glared at her. "I'm being careful."

Sally smiled. "I know. Now I can tell Duo that I reminded you and he'll get off both our cases for a bit." She stood. "Let's get the girl settled."

Heero led the way back to the room and held the door for Sally, who smiled at the girl.

"I'm going to give you something so you can sleep a little better, okay?"

The girl looked sad, as if she wasn't sure whether she was in trouble or not.

"Just relax," Sally said as she adjusted the flow to the sedative. "You're not in trouble. We just want you to be able to rest."

Heero watched as the girl's eyes drooped and she gradually went completely limp.

"I really hate doing that to her," Sally admitted. "But if she can't rest she won't heal."

There was a light tap on the door and Heero opened it.

"Hey, 'Ro, I hurried…" Duo trailed off as he realized Sally was in the room. "Did uh…did something happen?"

Heero nodded, closing the door behind Duo. "She had a nightmare. Sally gave her something to help her sleep."

"Aw, gee, 'Ro…I'm really sorry. Did she get to you?"

"I'm fine, Duo," Heero assured him. "She didn't trigger anything."

"She should sleep through the rest of the night," Sally told Duo before slipping out the door.

"Well…I guess that's good," Duo said as he set down his take-out dinner.

"I see you found something to eat," Heero commented as he leaned against the wall.

"Yeah. They had some pot roast thing that looked pretty good. D'you want to try some?"

"I'll pass. I might steal a bite of your pie, though."

Duo grinned. "I thought you might. That's why I got two pieces."

Duo had discovered that while Heero didn't generally go in for sweets, he _did_ tend to enjoy a slice of pie more often than any other dessert. Not just any pie, mind, but fruit pie. Duo figured that Heero was able to justify enjoying the treat as it had fruit, which was healthy…well…it was healthy before being marinated in sugar but Duo didn't see any reason to point that out. Duo particularly liked the pies that came from Ma's, the old diner down the street. He didn't know what they did differently than other places but their pie was divine. Tonight's pie had been "Peach Berry" which Duo was told had peaches, raspberries, and strawberries. It smelled wonderful.

Heero pulled his piece of pie from the bag and sat in the chair. Duo pulled a second chair over and dug into his pot roast and mashed potatoes.

"How's the pie?"

"…"

"That bad?"

"No…" Heero took another bite. "Tha' goo'."

Duo almost snorted pot roast out his nose. Duo found Heero talking with his mouth full hilarious. It also meant it must be _really_ good because Heero was constantly on Duo's case about his poor manners, which Duo attributed to his days on the streets. He'd told Heero that if Sister Helen couldn't teach him manners, Heero had no chance and to learn to deal with it. Heero, of course, doggedly kept trying to improve Duo's manners. He was largely unsuccessful but everyone knew Heero loved a challenge, so Duo let him keep trying. He even had a running bet going with Wufei. Duo bet that Heero would one day give up. Wufei bet that Heero would wear Duo down and make him civilized. They'd made the bet two years ago and so far neither was close to winning.

Heero finished his pie and waited for Duo to finish his meal before speaking.

"I should get going. I have a meeting with Une in the morning."

"About what?"

"Do you remember that lawyer that showed up at the house and ordered me to leave?"

"Yeah."

"He talked to Colonel Une. She wants to talk to me about what we should do about him."

"Then you're right, you better get going. You should be well-rested before trying to outwit a lawyer. I'll see you when I get off shift then," Duo said, giving Heero a peck on the cheek.

Heero returned Duo's peck and left.

Duo looked through the movies Heero had brought and picked out one he particularly liked. He put it in and settled into the chair. With the girl drugged and a bunch of movies to watch, Duo decided that this babysitting gig was getting sweeter by the minute. Now all he needed was his own tub of ice cream and his night would be darn near perfect.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Quatre let his thoughts roam as he drove home. He wondered how long it would be until they could get the girl to trust them. He wondered if she would even agree to look at the book Heero was going to bring by. What kind of reaction would she have to seeing the man who'd abused her for so long? Would she start talking if she knew he was out of the picture or would she revert to how she was when they found her? What if she refused to look at all? Heero would be annoyed at best. Quatre sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

He supposed he should let Trowa know the plan since he was going to be on duty when Heero came by. He pulled out his cell phone.

"Hi, Trowa, how are you?"

"I'm fine. What's up?"

"Well…I had a talk with Heero today and he's going to bring by a book for the girl to look at tomorrow."

There was silence on the line. Quatre waited a minute.

"Trowa? Did I lose you?"

"No, I'm here. What does Heero hope to accomplish?"

"He said Sally asked him to bring it by."

"What is she thinking? How is that supposed to help anything?"

"I think she wants the girl to feel safe."

"You do realize that the chances of her finding our target in the book of suspects in custody are slim to none, right? The guy I plugged at the site didn't match anyone in our lists which means he's still out there."

"Calm down, Trowa. I think Sally wants the girl to realize that we're doing everything we can but we _really _need her to talk to us if we're going to catch him."

"This is still bullshit."

Quatre sighed. "Look, if it makes it easier I'll come by and talk to her and keep Heero from trying to force her to look at all the books in one go."

"You can come if you want but I don't see what difference it's going to make. She's not going to talk."

"She doesn't need to just yet. She just needs to point out who did this to her. We can go from there."

"Hmph. On the off chance she _does_ find the guy or start talking, what then?"

"Then I guess we see what she can tell us. It's possible that once he's in custody she'll start talking."

Trowa sighed. "I hope you're right, Quatre. She's been through enough."

"I agree. That's why I insisted that Heero start with one book and let her set the pace. If it's too upsetting for her, we'll figure out another way to get the information from her."

There was silence on the line for a moment before Trowa answered, "Fine. But don't get your hopes up."

"I won't," Quatre promised even though he already had. He wanted to believe that something would help the girl sooner rather than later and he was willing to try anything. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

Duo was yawning when Trowa came to relieve him in the early hours of the morning.

"Are you okay to drive?" Trowa asked with a frown.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Duo answered. "Heero told me he had Sally drug the kid so she should sleep for a couple more hours."

Trowa furrowed his brows. "Was that really necessary?"

"She was having nightmares," Duo said with a shrug.

Trowa rolled his eyes. If he was drugged every time he had a nightmare he'd be drugged almost every night. "Wait a minute, what was Heero doing watching the girl? I thought we agreed he wouldn't anymore."

"I needed to grab some grub so he watched her for a few minutes. He had her drugged before I got back.

Trowa frowned. He was sure Quatre wouldn't be too pleased about this, either.

"Whelp…I'm gonna head home. See ya later."

"See ya."

Trowa leaned against the wall. He had hours to sit in the chair. He watched the girl sleep for a few minutes. It was annoying that they'd drugged her. Who knew how long she'd be out?

He wondered how she'd deal with her nightmares once the drugs were no longer available. He supposed Sally could prescribe her a sleeping pill but even those would eventually prove inadequate. What if she became addicted to them? She had enough issues that drug dependency was a real danger. He knew too many ex-soldiers that relied on alcohol and drugs to kill the memories and numb the pain.

He sighed and sat in the chair, grabbing the remote from the table. He was tired of the silence. He found something to add a little background noise but made sure the volume wouldn't disturb the girl.

It was several hours of mind-numbing daytime soaps before the girl shifted in her sleep. She let out a soft moan and Trowa frowned. He turned off the television and grabbed the clipboard at the end of her bed. He pursed his lips as he read the list of drugs in the cocktail they gave her. He opened the door and waved down a nurse.

"Can I get a glass of ice, please?"

"Of course, sir."

He waited for the nurse to bring him the Styrofoam cup of ice before securing the door. He watched the girl for a few minutes as she came around. When he felt like she was awake enough he moved closer to her. Her eyes opened a little.

"Here. Open your mouth."

The girl followed his order and he placed a piece of ice on her tongue. She closed her mouth and sucked on it. He waited for a few minutes before talking.

"Heero said Sally drugged you so you could sleep last night. I expect your mouth feels like you've been sucking on cotton balls."

She nodded but still seemed to be out of it.

"Done with that one? Open up."

He gave her more ice and watched as her eyes opened a bit more and she turned to look at him. He wanted to curse. She looked high. She probably was. Her pupils were constricted. How much did they give her? He'd have to talk to Sally about it.

"You're still feeling the effects, aren't you?"

The girl nodded and scrunched her eyes shut. She paled a little. Trowa wondered if she was going to throw up.

"Just relax, it should wear off soon."

The girl cracked her eyes open again and looked at the window.

"Would you like me to open the window?"

The girl looked a little confused. It was probably a side effect of the drugs. Maybe that wasn't what she wanted. He decided to guess.

"It's noon, if that's what you wanted to know."

The girl looked at him and gave him a small, lopsided smile. She was definitely higher than a kite. He hoped it wore off soon. He sat in the chair and handed her the cup of ice. She was awake enough to feed herself and it would let him analyze any physical effects of the drugs she was still feeling.

Her hands shook as she took the cup and placed a piece of ice in her mouth.

"Would you like something to eat?"

She didn't answer.

"It may help some of the effects to wear off faster," he explained. Drugs on an empty stomach were rarely a good idea.

She nodded. Trowa opened the drawer on the table and pulled out the cafeteria menu and Sally's suggested food list. He supposed he could order for her but he wanted her to make her own decisions. They were trying to give her her life back. She should be able to decide what she wanted to eat.

"Would you like soup again or something different?"

She didn't answer. He hoped he hadn't upset her. Maybe she just needed a bit more time for the drugs to wear off a bit.

"Sally said it should be fine for you to have soup or you can have toast." He frowned as he looked at the soup for the day. "There's not much of a selection for you, I'm afraid. The soup today is borsht, which I don't recommend. It's bad even by hospital food standards."

Trowa was able to handle most hospital food but the borsht turned his stomach. He figured she would eat it if that was what they gave her but he didn't want her to feel obligated to eat something just because she didn't have any other options.

He looked up from the list at her. She was watching him.

"Have you ever had rice pudding?"

She shook her head a little but didn't give him anything else to go on. Fine. If she wasn't going to make a decision, he would make this one for her.

"You might like it and it's on your list. Would you like toast?" Maybe asking direct questions would get a response.

She nodded. Good. He nodded to her and went to the phone to order food for her and something for himself. He watched her as she sucked more ice. She seemed to be doing a little better.

He hung up the phone and leaned against the wall. She watched him warily and he let her. He thought back to the wars. He had prided himself on being able to blend in and be completely invisible in plain sight. He didn't have to be invisible anymore but it was a little odd to let her analyze him. After a few minutes she tired of staring at him and looked down at her arms. She showed interest in the bandages on her wrists. He wondered if he should say something.

There was a knock on the door and Trowa opened it to an orderly with the girl's food. He took the tray and secured the door. He set the tray on her lap and stepped back. She looked up at him with confusion. Did she think he wouldn't really let her eat? The thought made him sick. Maybe it was something else.

"I ordered food for myself, but it will take longer to make. I didn't want you to have to wait."

She looked down at her tray and reached for the spoon. Trowa was relieved that he had guessed correctly what she wanted to know. She nearly dropped the spoon as she lifted a spoonful of the rice pudding to her mouth. She looked scared, as if she thought she was in trouble.

"I'll tell Sally to lower your dosage next time," he said softly as he reached out to steady her hand. "I don't think she realized how badly it would affect you."

It would have been faster for him to simply take the spoon and feed her, but he didn't want to embarrass her. Her cheeks had gone a little pink when he first started helping her and he knew _he_ wouldn't have appreciated being treated like a baby. She wasn't a baby or an invalid, just unsteady. Besides, he figured once she got some food in her system the shaking would stop.

It wasn't long before there was another knock on the door. The girl jumped a little at the noise but Trowa waited for her to set down the spoon before heading to the door. He took his tray of food from the orderly and went back to his chair, satisfied to see that the girl had picked up a piece of toast and was nibbling on it. She seemed happy enough that she didn't need help with it so he elected to leave her to herself for a bit. He kept an eye on her as he started in on his own food. He wasn't sure if she would need help again or not but he knew she wouldn't ask for it.

He watched as she set down the toast and tried another bite of the rice pudding. Her eyes glowed with pride as she managed it by herself without spilling any in her lap. She took a few more bites before leaning back on the pillows and staring at her hands.

He finished more of his food while he watched her ignore what was left on her tray. He wondered if she was actually full or just afraid to finish it.

"Did you get enough to eat?"

She nodded. He nodded back and continued eating his own food. He wasn't going to force her to eat if she wasn't hungry. He was about to ask her if she liked it when there was a bump on the door and it opened.

In a flash Trowa was on his feet with his gun drawn. No way in hell was anyone getting to the girl on_ his_ watch.

Quatre's head poked in. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to startle you."

Trowa rolled his eyes at Quatre's sheepish expression, he knew better. But Trowa nodded, accepting the apology, before sitting back down and slipping his gun into the holster.

Quatre came in and approached the girl.

"How are you feeling today?"

The girl didn't answer. Trowa frowned as she stared at the tray in her lap.

"She's doing better now than she was. The drugs are wearing off," he supplied before taking another bite.

The girl looked at him with an annoyed expression. Trowa resisted the urge to laugh. Her expression was priceless. He wasn't sure if he would hurt her feelings, though, so he took another bite and got himself under control.

Quatre felt the stab of annoyance from her and Trowa's mirth. He chuckled to ease the tension in the room. "You'll find that Trowa reads people very well. I think it's because he observes more than he talks."

Trowa couldn't help himself anymore. He chuckled but kept his thoughts to himself. Quatre noticed that the girl had no way to communicate and frowned. He moved to the table near the bed, ignoring the girl's slight cringe, and dug in the drawer for the pad of paper and the pen. He handed them to her and removed the tray from her lap.

"I'll try to remind everyone to make sure you have these in case there's something you want."

'Thank you,' she wrote.

Quatre smiled. She _was_ getting better. She wasn't as afraid of them and he suspected her flinching and cringing was more of an ingrained response than an actual expression of fear. Perhaps all it would take was time. "You're welcome."

He pulled a chair over and sat next to Trowa, waiting for him to finish his meal. Quatre had asked Heero to wait outside until the girl was ready to look at the books. He was glad Trowa was on duty. He would help if Heero got out of control.

The girl wrote something and held it up for Quatre to read.

'What?'

Well, that was new. This was the first time she'd initiated conversation. Quatre didn't want to discourage her by ignoring her question. "It will keep until Trowa is done," he told her gently. He wasn't sure of the best way to broach the subject of the books without upsetting her and was grateful for a few more minutes to figure it out.

"I'm done," Trowa said, standing to put his tray on the side table with the other one.

"Of course." Quatre was out of time. He decided that being straight with her would be best. "Would you be feeling up to looking at some pictures? We need you to identify the man who took you."

The girl closed her eyes. Quatre felt the resurgence of fear in the girl. He wondered if they were pushing her too fast. Maybe he should tell her it was okay and she didn't have to. She took a few deep breaths before nodding and looking up at him. She was scared but was willing to work with them. Quatre hoped she found the guy in the first book. He really wanted her to be able to put the fear behind her.

"Right," he said quietly, standing up. He opened the door and beckoned to Heero, who followed him into the room.

Heero approached the girl, trying to keep everything Quatre said about not frightening the girl in mind.

"My name is Heero. Are you willing to tell us yours yet?"

The girl stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

Heero grunted and was about to take out his frustration on her when Trowa pushed past him and knelt next to the girl. Heero glanced at Quatre and quashed his annoyance at the glare the blonde threw him.

Trowa's soft voice pulled Heero's attention back to the girl. She was cowering on the bed. He mentally berated himself. He needed to be in control before he scared the girl into noncompliance.

"It's okay," Trowa told the girl as he gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You're not in trouble. Don't be afraid."

The girl stared into Trowa's eyes for a moment before giving a small nod. Trowa stood and moved back, allowing Heero access to the girl again. Heero set a large binder on her lap.

"Look through those pictures and see if you can identify any of them," he ordered, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

The girl stared at the book before reaching out a trembling hand and opening it. The men kept their silence as they watched the girl flinch her way through the book. It was as if she expected her captor to jump out of the book at each turn of the page. She was visibly relieved as she closed the book and shook her head.

"Did you see very many people in the house?" Heero asked. Maybe they could take that route. If she could find them another lead, they could track that instead of this dead end.

The girl shook her head.

Heero mentally cursed. Now what? "You said his name was Perdu?"

The girl nodded

Heero scowled. "Hidden."

"What?" Quatre asked.

"That's what Perdu means. It means hidden, concealed or obscured. Since it doesn't match anyone on record, I assume it's an alias." Heero didn't add that it meant they couldn't pin the guy down unless the girl was able to point him out.

"Sally seemed to think so, too."

Heero nodded. "Hn. I'll bring another book of pictures by later."

Trowa looked at Quatre with a raised eyebrow, asking if that was really a good idea.

"Um, okay, Heero. Just…" Quatre wasn't sure how to finish that sentence without making Heero angry.

"I won't push her too hard," Heero snapped and immediately regretted losing his cool.

The girl flinched and bit her lip as she looked at the three men, her eyes betraying her fear. Quatre wanted to yell at Heero for scaring her again, but knew it wouldn't do anything but escalate the problem. He could tell Heero felt bad about it and decided to let it drop for now. If it kept happening, though, he and Heero would have another talk. Instead he nodded and grabbed the book off the girl's lap, handing it to Heero, who turned and left before he did anything else to scare the girl.

Quatre turned to the girl and tried to give her a reassuring smile to help her relax. "Sorry that didn't turn anything up. I suppose I shouldn't have hoped it would be so easy," he said, keeping his voice light.

The girl picked up the pen and wrote 'How many?' before holding the paper up for Quatre to read.

How many what? "How many…books?" he guessed.

The girl nodded.

Quatre took a deep breath before answering. "There are seven books of suspects we've identified with this trafficking ring." He watched the girl's eyes grow large with surprise and hurried on with his explanation. "I hope it doesn't take going through all of them before your kidnapper can be identified. Everyone in the first six books is either dead or in custody. The seventh book is of suspects we have yet to apprehend, and it's much smaller than any of the other books. But don't worry about it right now. We only want you to identify him so that we can be sure we've caught him and charge him accordingly."

The girl looked down and wrote something else. 'He isn't dead?'

Quatre wasn't sure what to tell her. He didn't want to worry her but he couldn't lie to her, either. "I'm sorry. He might not be. That first book was entirely suspects who have been…" (How could he put this delicately?) "…permanently removed either by the Preventers or by other members of the ring. However, there are some in the other books who have been similarly…disposed of. He may be one of those."

The girl looked shocked. It was obvious she had no idea how many people had been involved. Quatre was glad because it meant he could change Heero's mind about her being voluntarily involved in some way.

"But don't worry about it. You're safe now. We won't quit hunting him until he's been stopped," Trowa told her. He didn't want her stressed out about the possibility of them giving up on trying to keep her safe. It seemed obvious to him that too many people had already given up on her.

Quatre raised an eyebrow in surprise at the feelings coming from Trowa. He knew the brunette had a protective streak and he tended to try to keep those weaker than himself safe. Quatre hadn't felt it come out much when it came to witnesses the Preventers spoke to so this was a bit of a rare occurrence indeed. It made him wonder if Trowa was planning on adopting the girl into his makeshift family. Trowa, like Duo, had grown up without a true family and seemed to "collect" family members out of those he came into contact with. The five pilots were part of that family, as were the members of the circus where Trowa worked part-time. The only person Trowa was related to by blood was Catherine, who was a star in the circus.

The girl seemed to relax and leaned back against her pillows. She looked exhausted. Quatre could feel the stress growing in her as she looked at the wall. Quatre reached out and brushed her bangs from her face, causing her to flinch and look at him.

"Try to get some rest and don't worry. We'll get him."

Quatre gathered up the cafeteria trays and left. He hoped the girl didn't continue to get upset but he was confident Trowa would be able to handle her for now. She seemed to be fairly comfortable around him. It made Quatre wonder if she would talk to Trowa first. Duo and Wufei seemed to be into betting; perhaps he should make a wager with them over it…just for fun, of course.

Back in the room Trowa turned on the television to help distract the girl. He flipped through the channels, pausing to see who was playing in the hockey game before continuing. Trowa remembered Duo mentioning that the girl liked the L.A. Kings. Unfortunately, it was a game between the L5 Dragons and the Sanq Peacekeepers. He wasn't sure she'd want to watch if the Kings weren't playing. There was nothing else on tonight. He wouldn't know unless he asked.

He put it back on the game asking, "Is this okay?"

The girl nodded and watched the game with him until she drifted off. Trowa turned down the volume on the game so he didn't disturb her and let his thoughts wander. He was grateful that she was responding so well. He only hoped they didn't run into any irreparable setbacks.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"I don't think I need to tell you that this is a sensitive case. And as much as I dislike the man, we still need to appease him to a point."

"Hn."

Colonel Une looked at Heero. "Your thoughts?"

"I don't like him."

Une resisted the urge to smirk. She agreed with Agent Yuy's feelings towards Donovan Chase but personal opinions were not valid reasons for anything. "So you said last time we talked. Care to elaborate this time?"

Heero was leaning nonchalantly against the wall. "He has an overdeveloped sense of entitlement that he feels should make others give a shit about what he wants. He wears poorly tailored knockoffs to give the impression he's more affluent than he really is. He tries to intimidate those around him and when that doesn't work he resorts to ordering people about as though he's the only one with the mental capacity to do anything without having his hand held. It's insulting and during the wars I wouldn't have thought twice about dumping him in a ditch somewhere."

Colonel Une barely kept herself from laughing. Heero certainly didn't mince words. "Aside from the fact that his personality and character flaws annoy you, what do you think?"

Heero looked her in the eye. "There's something off about him. He uses his attitude to hide it but he's not to be trusted."

Une nodded. "I agree. However, I think the only way to get him to back off is to let him see the girl. It is possible that his client has been lying to him and he doesn't know anything about the girl's true condition."

Heero grunted.

"We will not turn the girl over to him but we need to let him see her and assess the damage for himself."

"What if he accuses us of causing the damage to her?"

"Agent Chang documented everything."

"Photos can be doctored."

"I understand that. But unless we can get that girl to talk, it's all we have."

"Quatre is working on that."

"Good. Now about Chase…I will call him and set up a time for him to meet with her."

"There need to be conditions."

"Such as?"

"She's not to be alone with him. Trowa and I will be there with her. He will come unarmed. He will be alone. His so-called "client" will not be allowed to see her. If we feel the situation is becoming too stressful for the girl, she will be removed and Chase will not have another time to meet with her. However, if _the girl_ asks to meet with him again, we will arrange it."

Colonel Une frowned as she considered Heero's terms. "What if he doesn't agree?"

"Then he doesn't see her. Sally has said not to overstress the girl and I will take no chances with her as she is our only lead at this point."

Colonel Une nodded. "Perhaps it would be a good idea to have him speak to Sally about the girl first. If he hears about her condition and the terms for seeing her from certified medical personnel he might fight us less on it. And if Sally feels she isn't ready for a visit of this nature she can tell us and we will set something else up."

Heero nodded. "Acceptable."

Colonel Une pulled out Chase's business card and turned on the vid phone. "You may stay if you desire."

Heero nodded and stayed where he was. He was silent as Une dialed the number and it rang twice.

"Hello?" Donovan Chase appeared on the vid screen.

"Mr. Chase?"

"Ah, Colonel Une! What a delight to see you again! You're looking lovely today. What can I do for you?"

"I looked into the girl you said went missing from your client's property."

"Wonderful! Did you find her?"

Colonel Une nodded. "She's here, though I must say that I agree with my Agents' decision to bring her in. She's very sick."

Chase looked mildly surprised, but not surprised enough. That was enough to confirm to Heero that he knew something. Heero glowered from his position. He wasn't in Chase's line of sight but he could see the slimy lawyer just fine.

"I'm very sorry to hear that. My client said she is the model renter. Very clean, quiet, always pays her rent on time," Chase was counting off the virtues on his fingers. "What would you say made her ill?"

"She was dehydrated for one thing," Une said carefully. She wasn't sure how much she wanted the lawyer to know. "She's had a very high fever and hasn't had much of an appetite. She's being treated by our best physician and has improved but I'm afraid she isn't well enough to go home just yet."

For a split second Chase looked absolutely livid. Heero wondered if Une had even caught it as the man's expression changed so quickly.

"Well, we wouldn't want to put her health at risk," Chase commented casually.

"No," Une agreed. "How would you feel about meeting with her doctor tomorrow? We could discuss the girl's condition and if the doctor approves, perhaps we could set up a meeting and you can see the girl for yourself and make sure the girl we have is the one you're looking for. It is possible that the girl you're looking for is still missing, after all."

"I quite agree, Colonel. It makes sense for me to identify the girl you have in custody as the one I'm looking for. After all, there are a number of transients in the area and it _is_ possible that your agents picked up someone completely random."

Colonel Une nodded. "What time would be convenient for you to come by?"

"Would tomorrow morning be manageable? I believe I have time from nine to eleven."

"That would be fine. I will see you tomorrow."

"I look forward to it. Farewell, Madame."

The vid screen went black as Chase hung up. Une hung up on her end and looked at Heero.

"What are your thoughts now?"

"He knows something. Did you see how angry he got when you said she wasn't well enough to leave?"

Colonel Une frowned. "Not really. Let me bring up the conversation and we'll look at it closer." She opened a file on her computer and retrieved the recording of the call. She slowed the feed down as they neared that portion of the conversation.

"There!" Heero said and Colonel Une paused the video.

The picture on the computer screen showed that Donovan Chase was furious. Looking at the man on the screen, Colonel Une had to suppress a shudder. He looked truly dangerous. "You don't suppose the girl has ever seen Chase before, do you?"

"I wouldn't know. She said she didn't see very many people in the house. I'm assuming she was kept in the basement room that Quatre and Duo found. Trowa suggested she had been allowed in a small room upstairs, but I think she would have seen more people if that was the case."

"But it _is_ possible that he could have been one of the few people she _did_ see, especially if he really does represent the owner of the home."

Heero shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose. The name she gave us was Perdu. The owner of the house is listed as Angus Carruthers, who, according to the last census, is a stock broker in New York and I have been unsuccessful in contacting him."

"So Donovan Chase is our only chance to clear this up? That's not a reassuring thought," Une remarked dryly.

Heero looked at the man on the computer. "No, it isn't. And if _this_ is the real Donovan Chase, I think we ought to have Wufei in the room as well while Duo and Quatre stand guard outside. I will take _no_ chances with this girl."

* * *

Duo flipped through the channels again. He hated when his guard shift hit at night. There was never anything good on and he'd forgotten to bring a few movies of his own. Heero wasn't likely to stop by with any due to the fact that he was still working.

The girl shifted on the bed and he glanced over at her. She moved her head from side to side and looked like she was in pain.

"Shit," he muttered to himself as he got out of the chair. He hoped she wouldn't start screaming.

He watched as she got more and more restless. Maybe if he woke her up he wouldn't have to call Sally to drug her.

"Wake up. Come on…" He frowned as her breathing sped up and she started to tremble. Duo reached out and gently shook her shoulder. "Wake up! Everything's fine…you're safe. Just…wake up already!" He shook her shoulder a little harder.

Her eyes popped open and she looked scared. Duo felt bad. He hadn't meant to scare her. She stared at him as her breathing slowed to a normal pace.

"Sorry, but you were having a nightmare. I was afraid you'd hurt yourself again."

The girl looked around as if she wasn't sure where she was.

"Um..do you want me to get Sally to give you something?"

The girl frowned and bit her lip before shaking her head.

Duo shrugged. "If that's what you want." He wasn't going to push her into doing something she didn't want to do. Trowa had told them that she had a hard time coming out of it when she'd been drugged. Duo figured it was because she was so scrawny. It was probably hard for Sally to determine just how much to give her and she probably gave her too much last time.

The girl started feeling around and grabbed the pen and paper that had been left next to her. Duo waited while she wrote and held the paper out to him. While Duo had had an admittedly limited formal education due to growing up on the streets, the girl's handwriting bordered on terrible. It took him a few minutes to read what she'd written.

'What do you mean, hurt myself again?'

"Um…well, your wrists. You had a nightmare when you were transported here and you pulled against the restraints so hard you cut your wrists pretty bad. Wufei ended up giving you a shot of something to make you stop."

Duo found it hard to believe that she hadn't realized her wrists were bandaged for a reason but then she _had_ done it when she'd been basically delirious due to a high fever and dehydration so he couldn't _really_ fault her for not knowing. He watched her reaction. She seemed a little upset as she looked at her wrists.

"I'm sorry I woke you up and all. It's just…I guess I was afraid you'd hurt your back again or something with the way you were thrashing around."

The girl nodded and laid back down but she seemed distracted to Duo. He thought about asking her what was wrong but decided not to. She wouldn't talk and he didn't want to make her write it all out. The silence was getting to him, though.

"Hey, do you mind if I turn on the TV or something?"

She shook her head and gave a small wave of her hand. Duo grinned and grabbed the remote, turning on the television as he went back to his chair. The volume was up too high so he adjusted it and flipped through the channels. There _still_ wasn't anything on. He made a mental note to leave some videos in his car so he wouldn't have to channel surf all night anymore.

He smiled broadly as he found a movie he liked. He glanced at the girl, who was staring blankly at the television. Maybe she wouldn't like it. He was about to change it when he realized that her eyes were half shut already. She wasn't going to be awake very long anyway. When he checked on her a few minutes later, she was fast asleep again.

He settled in to watch his movie when there was a knock on the door. He frowned but got up and answered it.

"Heero? I thought you were working."

"I just got off and thought I'd check in on you before heading home."

"I'm fine," Duo smirked. "You can't fool me. You were worried about the girl."

Heero shrugged. "A little. But mostly I wanted to make sure you weren't too bored."

"It's fine. I finally found a movie to watch."

Heero nodded. "Do you need any—"

Heero was cut off by a scream from the girl.

"Damn!" Duo swore as he moved back over to the flailing girl.

Heero followed him in. "Don't let her hurt herself."

"Easier said than done," Duo quipped as he tried to hold her legs down. She kicked out at him and he barely managed to dodge it.

Heero leaned close to her ear. "Easy! It's okay. You don't have to be afraid." Quatre had chewed him out for scaring the girl and he wanted to redeem himself. He hadn't meant to scare her before and, as Quatre had pointed out numerous times, she wasn't going to talk to them if she was afraid.

She lashed out, hitting him. It didn't hurt, he'd had bug bites that were more painful, but he didn't want to alarm her further. He stepped back, watching her twist and wriggle on the bed. Duo grabbed her arms and held them down. The girl screamed again.

"Drug her already! Push the button!" Duo yelled over the din.

"No…let her go."

Duo looked at Heero in surprise. "What?"

"I want to try something first."

Duo backed up, raising his hands in surrender and the girl kept screaming.

Heero went back over to her and knelt next to her head. "It's okay…stop screaming. You're safe, he can't get you anymore," he told her quietly. "Hush now, you're safe. It's all right, calm down."

The girl took a gasping breath and her eyes opened. She looked around wildly, her eyes unfocused. Heero frowned. While he'd hoped she would wake up he wasn't sure she was actually aware of what was going on. She curled up on her side, breathing heavily.

"So…what now?" Duo asked quietly.

"Go get Sally."

Duo nodded and slipped out of the room. Heero slid his arm under the girl's neck and shoulders and carefully turned her onto her back. The girl stared at him but he could tell she didn't actually see him at all.

"Don't be afraid, you're safe. He cannot get you," Heero told her as he laid her back on her pillow. The girl closed her eyes just as Duo returned with Sally.

"What's going on?" Sally asked. She'd been on duty in another part of the hospital and hadn't heard the noise.

"Night terror," Heero told her. "She was awake but…not awake. I think she can hear us but that's it."

"She had a nightmare earlier but I got her to wake up. It was nothing like this one," Duo added.

Sally nodded with a sigh. "I'll give her something."

"Trowa mentioned that she has a hard time getting the drugs out of her system," Heero told her.

"I'll adjust it. With as skinny as she is I'm not surprised. I probably gave her too much last time," Sally admitted with a frown.

"Do you think she'll remember this?" Duo asked.

"I'd guess not so much," Sally said. "Night terrors differ from nightmares because with nightmares you're truly asleep and you generally wake up. With night terrors, you are actually half awake but unable to recognize things as they are. Studies have shown that those who have night terrors don't remember them."

"Well…that's…good, I guess."

"Since I know she'll be out for a while I'd like to attend to some things. Would you two be kind enough to leave?"

Duo frowned. "Why? What are you going to do?"

"Since you _must_ know, I'd like to give her a bath and get the sheets on this bed changed out. It won't do us any good to try and make her well if she's surrounded by filth."

"Uh…right," Duo said with a slight blush. "How long do you think it'll take?"

"Well…since I really won't have any help…probably half an hour or so."

Duo nodded.

"Would you go to the nurse's station ask Hannah to bring me bathing supplies and clean sheets?"

Duo nodded and went to do as Sally asked.

"Do you need assistance, Sally?"

"It would be nice, but I can manage."

Heero was silent for a moment. "I've run a background check on Hannah. She may stay to assist you if you desire."

"I appreciate that, Heero. It will make this much easier." Inwardly, Sally was annoyed that Heero had gone to such lengths without consent, but she understood why he felt such precautions were necessary.

Heero went outside and in a moment he let Hannah in.

"Here you are, Dr. Po," Hannah greeted Sally cheerfully with the requested supplies.

"Thank you, Hannah."

The two women quickly bathed the unconscious girl and Sally opened the door. Duo was waiting. He'd sent Heero home to get some rest.

"Duo, could you please hold her while we change the sheets?"

"No problem."

Duo lifted the girl's slight form and the women changed the sheets quickly.

"Thank you, Hannah. I think that will be all for this evening," Sally said, dismissing the nurse as Duo set the girl back onto the bed.

"D'you think we ought to set the bed back up to where she had it?" Duo asked.

"Sleeping flat won't hurt her but we could hurt her if we have it set wrong. It's better to let her readjust it when she wakes up tomorrow."

"You're the doctor," Duo said with a shrug as he plopped into the chair.

"She should be out for several hours yet but alert me if anything changes."

"You got it Sally."

Sally left and Duo flipped through the channels. There was still nothing on.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"Thank you for making time for this, Sally."

"It's no problem, Colonel. Tell me something. Do _you_ think his meeting with the girl is a good idea?"

Colonel Une didn't answer right away. "I'm not sure. Heero doesn't seem to think so."

"But?"

Une sighed. "But I think it's better to let him see how poorly she was treated. His client is probably our target and if I can get Chase to cooperate with us, it will make things easier since the girl is refusing to speak to us."

"She's communicating," Sally protested.

Une frowned. "Why won't she just talk to us?"

"I…I don't know," Sally conceded. "I've asked Quatre to see if he can get her to talk today."

"In any case, the fact is that she isn't talking. Why don't you see if you can get her to write out her statement? Then we at least have a starting point."

"I don't know that she can write well enough just yet. Her right shoulder will need to be immobilized for another couple of weeks and she's right handed. We're lucky to get what written communication we can as it is."

"Then I guess we have no choice but to wait. However, I think we should still encourage her to talk if at all possible."

Sally nodded. "We'll continue to work on it."

"Good. Now…Chase should be here at any time. Any questions before he arrives?"

Sally shook her head. "No. This should be fairly straight forward."

The women sat in silence as they waited for Chase to arrive, each lost in her own thoughts. Colonel Une thought about how they were going to get the girl to talk. They needed her statement sooner rather than later. She wondered if Chase would be able to convince her to talk. If he was as familiar with the home where she was found as he claimed, she probably knew him well enough to be comfortable around him. This might be a good idea after all.

Sally, on the other hand, was having thoughts that were a little darker. What were they going to do if the girl didn't talk? What if she had second thoughts and refused to communicate anymore? Sally was worried that having the girl meet with the lawyer was pushing a little too much. She was still sick, malnourished and injured. And if she had a relapse, it could be deadly. She just wasn't healthy enough to recover from anything major.

"Colonel Une? Donovan Chase is here to see you."

"Send him in Grace."

The two women watched expectantly as the door opened and Donovan Chase appeared.

"Colonel Une, how lovely to see you again," he greeted the woman smoothly.

"And you as well. This," she indicated Sally, "is Dr. Po. She is the attending physician for the girl we retrieved from your client's home."

"A pleasure to meet you Mrs. Po." Chase smiled and Sally had to suppress a shudder. There was something off about this man.

"Please, call me _Doctor_ Po," Sally corrected just as smoothly. She hadn't spent years in college and clawing her way up the ranks in the military medical field to lose the title she'd rightfully earned. She decided not to point out that she wasn't married. She didn't want _that_ kind of attention from him.

"Ah…yes, forgive me."

"Won't you have a seat, Mr. Chase?" Colonel Une indicated a chair and the man sat. "Now, we spoke before about you meeting with the girl. I wanted Dr. Po to report on her condition and tell us whether or not she is up to a formal visit. Dr. Po?"

Sally cleared her throat. "I'm not sure what you've already been told, Mr. Chase."

"Only that she was very dehydrated and sick," Chase supplied.

Sally nodded. "She was extremely dehydrated. It took us five bags of rehydrating solution before she eliminated and we still have her on a drip as a precaution. I am happy to report that her temperature is within a normal range however she is still very malnourished."

Chase raised his eyebrows. "Really? I knew she was training for a career in acting but I didn't think she'd take it so far. Then again, most actresses these days have eating disorders, don't they?"

"Indeed," Sally agreed dryly. "Then there is the matter of the girl's back."

"Her…back?" Chase was careful to keep his tone and expression curious. He tried not to think about how angry the little chit had made him with her disobedience. She'd deserved every single one of those lashes.

"Yes. It looked as though she'd been whipped and beaten. Her back was a bloody mess and she has bruises covering her body."

"My client always said she was the most singularly clumsy girl he'd ever met in his life. She was always tripping and falling. He's had to send ambulances out there four times in the last year because she fell down the stairs. In fact, he's recommended on more than one occasion that she get a roommate that can keep an eye on her."

"Well…be that as it may, it doesn't account for her back being in the condition it's in." Sally didn't like how easily the man was able to write off the girl's injuries.

Chase shrugged. "Have you tried asking her what happened?"

"No. We didn't want to push her. She seems to be afraid of everything," Colonel Une explained.

Chase snorted. "Of course she's afraid. Your men forced their way into her home and then arrested her. Any teenager would be afraid of that."

Sally _really_ didn't like how dismissive the lawyer was. It made her wonder if he knew what his client was really up to in that house.

"Perhaps you could ask her," Colonel Une suggested. "I believe Dr. Po will grant clearance for you to visit her."

"Yes," Sally agreed. "However, there will have to be a few rules in place, for the girl's safety, you understand."

"What rules did you have in mind?" Chase asked.

"First of all, if she gets upset the visit will end immediately. Her health is my main priority and I will not have her getting worked up and relapsing on us."

Chase nodded. "That is reasonable."

"Because of her physical condition, we would like to keep your client away from her."

"What? Why?"

"We suspect that your client may have been involved in her abuse and until she tells us otherwise, we will operate as though he is the culprit," Sally explained. "I'm afraid that if he was involved, then it will upset her and your visit will finish before it gets started."

"That makes sense," Chase conceded.

"She will also have Preventer agents in the room with her at all times," Colonel Une added.

Chase frowned. "What if she refuses to talk _because_ the Preventers are there? We already established that she was afraid of them."

"Then it can't be helped," Colonel Une informed him, not bothering to add that the girl seemed to trust her agents and was communicating with them. "The agents will be there for her protection and will not interfere unless they feel it necessary."

"Hmph. Any other restrictions?"

"I think that unless the girl requests to see you again, we should limit your visit to just the one," Sally said carefully. "I don't want her to feel as though we're trying to force her to cooperate as I think it would undo all the progress we've made in gaining her trust."

"So I get one shot? And it will be supervised by Preventers? Just how do you expect me to get the girl to speak candidly when your people will be there to make her nervous and possibly take her away just because they don't like what she's telling me?"

Colonel Une frowned. "The agents that will be assigned to the room wouldn't be so petty. They will allow the girl to stay or leave as she wishes. Don't forget, she might not even be the girl you think she is."

"I guess I don't have much choice, then, do I?" Chase groused, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Those are the terms," Une confirmed. "Would you like us to set up a time for you to visit?"

"I have an opening in my schedule tomorrow. Would that be acceptable?"

"That can be arranged," Colonel Une said, standing up. "Just set it up with Grace on your way out and we will make sure the girl is ready to meet with you."

Chase stood and extended a hand to Sally. "Thank you for your time, Dr. Po," he said as he gave her hand a limp shake before offering his hand to the Colonel. "And you as well, Colonel Une. I look forward to our next meeting."

"As do I."

The lawyer left and the two women looked at each other.

"I understand why Heero doesn't like him," Une commented.

"What if the girl requests to see him again?"

"Then we'll deal with it. But I think having Heero in the room with them will deter Chase from wanting to come back."

Sally stood. "I think it would be wise to prepare the girl to meet with him. I don't think springing this on her tomorrow will go over very well."

"Yes, I believe you're right."

Sally turned to leave.

"Sally?"

"Yes?"

"Do make sure she's comfortable and presentable for tomorrow's meeting. It wouldn't do for him to think we aren't treating her well. I have a feeling he will do whatever he can to protect his client. Everything we do will be under scrutiny."

"I understand. I'll take care of it."

* * *

"Good morning, Duo."

"Mornin' Quat," Duo returned with a stretch and a yawn. "Don't know how I always manage to catch the night shift."

"I'm sorry, Duo. We don't plan it that way on purpose."

"I know. And I don't really end up with all the night shifts. Those are just the most boring shifts so they stick out I guess."

Quatre nodded. "Anything to report?"

"She had a terror last night. Sally drugged her."

"Again?"

Duo nodded. "Yeah, but I think it worked out okay because Sally was able to give her a bath and change the bedding while she was out."

Quatre frowned. "I wish there was a way we wouldn't have to drug her."

Duo shrugged. "If you have a suggestion I'm sure Sally'd love to hear it. I know she's not too keen on it, either."

"Okay. If there's nothing else, I'll let you get home. You look like you could use some sleep."

Duo gave his friend a lop-sided grin. "See ya later!"

Quatre made sure the door was secure before settling into the chair with a book. It wasn't long before the girl shifted slightly on the bed. He looked at her, wondering if she was going to have another nightmare. She settled and Quatre returned to his book. There was a soft knock on the door. Quatre opened it to find Heero.

"Did Duo leave already?"

Quatre nodded. "About half an hour ago."

"Hm."

"Did you need something?"

"Is she still out?" Heero asked, looking over Quatre's shoulder at the girl.

Quatre focused for a moment, trying to feel if the girl was unconscious or not. "I think she's starting to come around. Give her a little bit."

"Hn. Let me know when she's cognizant."

"You're not going to push the books on her immediately are you, Heero?" Quatre asked with a frown.

"No, Quatre, I won't. As much as I'd like to, I won't. Satisfied?" Heero snapped.

"Heero, that's not fair. She can't handle it right now and you'll only make things worse if you try to push her. She still isn't talking. She may have been traumatized so much that she'll never talk again and all you can think about is your investigation!" Quatre protested.

Heero glared at Quatre. "My investigation will put the rat bastard that did this to her behind bars permanently. And we need to know as soon as possible if he's slipped through our fingers so we can hunt him down before he does this again. If he's smart he'll cover his tracks better and the next girl might not be found in time!"

Quatre looked down. Heero had a point. Maybe Quatre had gotten so used to Heero putting the mission before everything else that he just assumed that was the case now. Heero _had_ changed over the years, with a lot of help from Duo.

"I'm sorry, Heero. It was unfair of me to accuse you of putting the mission before everything else." Quatre said softly.

"You know as well as I do that three years ago that would still have been the case," Heero said, looking away. He knew he had a habit of putting the mission before everything. It had only been recently that Duo had managed to start breaking him of it. He certainly didn't manage it all the time, either. But he _had_ been making a conscious effort not to push the girl to much. "And I don't blame you for thinking that with the way I've been acting lately."

"No, as your friend I should give you more credit than that. I should have realized that you were just trying to stop this atrocity from happening again."

Heero sighed. "Quatre, stop apologizing." It was a bit annoying, but he knew he would hurt the blonde's feelings if he said so. "Just let me know when she's up. And Sally wants to talk to her today."

"Okay." Quatre watched as Heero left. He hoped his friend would remember not to push the girl when she came to. Quatre looked at the girl in question and noticed that her eyes were open a little. He stood next to the bed.

"Good morning," he greeted her cheerfully. He hoped his argument with Heero hadn't woken her. "Would you like to sit up?"

The girl shook her head a little. Quatre felt a wave of nausea from her. Trowa said she didn't do well on the drugs so Quatre didn't push her. She would feel better as soon as they wore off. He set the remote to the bed in her hand.

"Here. You can sit up when you're ready." He stepped back so as not to crowd her. "Heero said that Sally wants to see you today, as soon as you're up for it."

The girl looked confused for a moment before recognition dawned on her. Quatre wondered if she would have had the same confusion had he said 'Dr. Po' instead. The girl started to adjust the bed and Quatre watched as she felt around. He frowned and moved to the drawer where he pulled out the pen and paper. He made a mental note to remind everyone again to make sure she had them.

She wrote something slowly. Quatre could tell just how much the drugs were affecting her motor skills. She was shaking something terrible as well. He'd have to talk to Sally about it. It couldn't be healthy for her.

"Water?"

Quatre's eyes widened as he deciphered her writing, which was worse than usual. "I'm so sorry, I should have thought of that!"

He grabbed a clean cup from the side table and dashed into the bathroom. He filled it at the sink, hoping it would be cool enough for her, and hurried back. He held it out to her but pulled it back with a frown as he saw how badly she was shaking. It would end up all over her if he didn't help her. He wondered if it would embarrass her, but she needed the water and she really couldn't do it alone.

"Let me help you. Trowa said the drugs make you shake and I'm sure you don't want another bath."

The girl looked uncomfortable but at least she didn't look like she thought she was in trouble. Quatre helped her to get a drink, taking the cup away when she held up her hand. She was still shaky.

"We should get some food in you as well. It will help." He analyzed the menu, searching for foods she could eat. "There aren't very many breakfast choices you can eat. What was it you ate yesterday?"

'Rice pudding and toast.'

Hm…those were daily staples so he could order them if that was what she wanted. But he didn't want to assume that she would want the same things over and over again. The only way to know for sure was to ask her. "Would you like that again or something different? You can have hot cereal if you'd prefer."

The girl thought this over before tapping the paper. He nodded. She liked the rice pudding and toast. "What kind of jam would you like for your toast?"

She seemed surprised. She bit her lip as she wrote out 'strawberry.' Quatre ordered her breakfast and the two waited in silence for a few minutes.

Quatre thought about how different the girl was from when they'd found her. Sally had spoken to him earlier about trying again now that she seemed to trust them more and since there was nothing else to do, he decided to try and get her to talk.

"You know, I feel bad not knowing your name." He asked carefully, watching her to make sure he didn't frighten her.

The girl looked down and Quatre figured he'd crossed the line. He wanted to let her know she wasn't in trouble.

"Is there something we can call you, even if it isn't your real name?"

The girl seemed to be thinking about it, but she didn't answer him.

"You could just give us your first name and not your last. That would be enough."

She was uncomfortable. She wasn't _exactly_ afraid but she wasn't thrilled about the idea, either. Quatre let it drop as a knock signaled the arrival of their food.

He set her tray on her lap. He'd thought about asking for her name again before giving her the food but he didn't want her to think that she would have to earn her food. It wouldn't have been fair to her and it probably would only result in her refusal to eat at all, which he _really _didn't want.

So instead, he watched as she picked up the knife and used it to put a bit of strawberry jam on her toast. He wanted to jump up and help her when she almost dropped it into her lap but was glad he didn't when she managed it on her own. She seemed to be so proud of herself and he was happy he hadn't taken that away from her. She needed all the self-confidence she could get right now.

As she ate, her shaking lessened. Quatre watched her, making sure she was finished eating before he spoke to her again. He didn't want to discourage her from eating or make her think that the food was an exchange for information.

"So what about your name?" He asked carefully. He wanted to let her know that she wasn't in trouble but he still wanted her to talk to him.

She shook her head.

He watched her for a moment. "Is there a reason you don't want us to know?"

It would be one thing if she was just being difficult but if there was a reason then they might be able to remove the obstacle and she would be free to speak to them.

She didn't look right at him, but she darted looks at him as she wrote.

'I can't say.'

Her writing was much clearer now that her hand had stopped shaking.

So there _was _a reason. "Why not?" he pressed.

'Not safe.'

He wanted to know why it wasn't safe but thought that might be the wrong question to ask. She was starting to feel upset.

"What if I could guarantee you'd be safe?" he asked, making sure that he spoke clearly enough that there was no way she could misunderstand.

She stared at him for a moment before writing, 'Not possible.'

She was being guarded by five Gundam Pilots, considered the most dangerous rebels in the universe, not that she knew that. He almost told her but realized that the admission might frighten her more than make her feel safe. Even if they were no longer Gundam Pilots, they _were_ high ranking Preventer Agents, specially trained in combat. For her to think someone was more dangerous than they were was a little unbelievable.

"You really don't trust us to keep you safe?"

She looked down. Quatre could feel a little longing coming from her. She wanted something but she couldn't articulate it. A tear trickled down her cheek and Quatre reached out to wipe it away. He felt bad that he'd made her cry.

"It's okay. You don't have to trust us. I know it can't be easy for you to trust anyone, especially men, after what you've been put through. We don't take it personally. But please know that we really will do everything in our power to keep you safe, okay?"

The girl nodded and hastily wiped the tears from her face, looking down in embarrassment.

Quatre could feel a mix of fear and stress coming from her. He wanted to reassure her that she wasn't in trouble. "Hey, it's okay," he said reminded her gently. "Are you done eating?"

The girl nodded, but still didn't look up at him.

"All right. Heero said that Sally wants to talk to you today. You let me know when you're in a mood to see her, okay?"

The girl leaned back. Quatre could tell she was trying to stop crying. He left her alone while he finished eating, hoping the time would allow her to relax. He got the feeling that she wasn't really afraid of _him_, but she _was_ afraid of something. It bothered him that she was so afraid of it that she couldn't even tell him. She looked up at him when he took her tray.

"Would you like me to get Sally for you?"

She nodded without hesitation.

He shot her a grin. At least he could be sure she wasn't afraid of Sally. "Be right back."

* * *

"I've told you what I think of this."

"I understand that, Agent Yuy. But you need to see this from a professional standpoint. If we keep him from seeing her, Chase will assume we are hiding something. The Preventers cannot afford that kind of negative publicity. You know as well as anyone that our organization has been under fire since its inception. You also know that without the Preventers local precincts will be overrun with cases they are ill equipped to handle."

Heero pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose. "Did he accept the terms?"

Une nodded. "Grudgingly, but he _did_ agree."

"Then I will allow the meeting to occur. I will speak with the others and inform them of the expectations regarding his visit so we are all on the same page. Her safety is still _our_ first priority. I'll leave the publicity to you."

Une nodded. She supposed it was the best she could expect from Agent Yuy. She trusted his judgment but there were times when protocol and etiquette had to be followed. Gut instincts, while vital in the field, were not valid enough reasons to satisfy the higher ups who signed their paychecks.

"It's only one visit and it will be over with tomorrow," Une assured him. "At least it isn't being put off for months."

"Thank heaven for little miracles," Heero muttered.

Une raised an eyebrow. Sarcasm was usually Maxwell's area. While she appreciated the work Duo did with Heero, helping him to adjust to civilian life, it seemed that other parts of him were rubbing off on the former Wing pilot as well. At least Yuy hadn't made sarcastic answers a habit like Maxwell did.

"Is there anything else?" Heero asked, breaking the Colonel from her reverie.

"No."

"Then I should begin preparations for tomorrow's meeting."

Une caught the obvious hint, yet another of Maxwell's lovely habits Yuy seemed to have assimilated. "Thank you, Agent Yuy. That will be all for now. You are dismissed."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Quatre opened the door and was glad to see Sally and Wufei talking just down the hall. He motioned for them to come in. Both had been waiting for the girl to be ready to talk. He also got the attention of an orderly and gave him the empty food trays. He held the door for Sally and Wufei to enter and securely closed it.

Quatre frowned as he saw the look on the girl's face. He didn't need to be an empath to tell she was scared of Wufei. Her eyes were trained on him as she pushed back against her pillow in a feeble attempt to put more distance between them as he came ever closer.

"Wufei, you're scaring her," Quatre said quietly when it became obvious that Wufei didn't realize _he_ was the reason for the girl's terror.

Wufei stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't meant to scare her but he did mean to speak with her. He wasn't sure how this would work if he had to yell at her from across the room. He couldn't see that being helpful at all and it would annoy him at the very least.

Sally gave Wufei an encouraging smile before turning to the girl. "Don't worry about him, dear. His bark is worse than his bite." She looked up. "Oh, sit down, Wufei. You're starting to make _me_ nervous."

He glared at her, but sat, placing the book he'd brought on his lap. Sally rolled her eyes. He really needed to relax. Instead of commenting on it, she grabbed the clipboard and checked the machines. Once the work was out of the way, she turned back to the girl.

"I think we're going to unhook you from some of these. You still need the nutrient drip until you can eat a wider variety of foods, but the other one can go. You don't react well to the drug cocktail we've been using for your nightmares so I think we should dump that altogether. I'll give you something else to help you sleep at night, to use when you think you need them, okay?"

The girl gave a slight nod. Sally removed the brace and checked her shoulder. It didn't look swollen anymore. "This looks like it's healing nicely. Does it still hurt?"

The girl nodded again.

"A lot?" If it was bothering her, Sally would need to x-ray it again to make sure she hadn't missed something before.

The girl shook her head. Sally was relieved. The girl was healing which, given her physical state, was pretty amazing.

"You can take the brace off to shower, but other than that you'll need to keep it on for a few more weeks. You let me know if it bothers you, okay?"

The girl nodded.

Sally removed the wrap on the girl's knee and carefully felt the joint. "I think we can take this wrap off if you promise to take it easy for a while. If you think your knee can handle the weight you can get up and walk around the room a little bit. Which reminds me that I'll need to take your measurements and get you something else to wear. I can't imagine you being comfortable walking about with an open backed nightgown."

The girl blushed crimson, making Sally chuckle. Quatre, leaning against the wall, did his best not to laugh as well. He didn't want the girl to feel like she was some kind of entertainment.

"We'll take care of that a little later, okay?" Sally said.

The girl nodded.

"Why don't you just talk?" Wufei snapped.

The girl cringed.

"Wufei! Leave her alone. She has her reasons," Quatre scolded. He'd had just about enough of Heero and Wufei scaring the poor girl.

"She's making me dizzy," Wufei argued. He knew he should have apologized but he was annoyed that the girl was blatantly refusing to talk.

"Then wait in the hall. I won't have you terrorizing her."

Wufei glared at the blonde and looked at the girl. She was looking down at her lap, her hair covering her face. Her shoulders trembled.

Wufei felt like a heel. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I apologize," he said softly and deliberately. "I didn't mean to upset you."

The girl slowly lifted her face, watching him through her hair. Her eyes darted to Quatre, who gave her a small nod and smile. This seemed to give the girl enough courage to raise her head. Quatre could feel that the girl still wasn't comfortable around Wufei.

Sally carefully grabbed the girl's chin and forced the girl to look at her. "It's all right," she told the girl gently. "I wouldn't let anyone in here if I thought they would ever hurt you. Wufei means well, he just doesn't always come across that way."

The girl nodded but Quatre didn't feel any change in her emotions. There was nothing to be done about it. Either Wufei would earn her trust or he wouldn't. That was something he was going to have to do on his own.

"Right, now where were we?" Sally asked, bringing the conversation back on track. "I was going to ask you if you got to finish school."

The girl shook her head. Quatre wasn't surprised. Whoever had her had hidden her away for five years. They wouldn't have given her a chance to escape or get outside help.

"Hmmm…well, if you'd like we can arrange for you to study for your GED and get your diploma," Sally suggested cautiously. She didn't want the girl to feel as though she was being forced into anything.

The girl thought it over for a few minutes before nodding.

Wufei took that as his cue. He stood and held out the book to her. It was a GED Study Guide, a rather thick book by most standards, but it would cover everything she would need to know to pass the test. When Sally had spoken to him about her potential lack of education he had suggested the book. Sally had suggested that _he_ present the book to her and offer to help her.

It made sense for Wufei to help the girl study. He'd been quite the scholar in his youth and even now he found every excuse he could to learn something new. Plus, he had been entertaining the idea of becoming a teacher when he retired from the Preventers. This would give him the chance to see if it was truly something he wanted to do.

The girl stared at the book but made no move to accept it.

"You can take it. It won't bite," Wufei told her, hoping she would stop being afraid of him.

She eyed him warily as she slowly reached out and took the book. He gave her a moment to look at it before speaking. She looked back up at him, her features still betraying her distrust of him.

"I will be more than happy to assist you in your studies, provided you quit looking at me like I'm going to chew you up and spit you out."

Her cheeks tinged pink and Wufei chuckled.

"Sally has made sure that I know I can be difficult to get along with, but I will attempt to be more patient in the future."

The girl slowly nodded and the corner of her lip turned up ever so slightly. Quatre could tell she was still nervous around Wufei but was glad she was at least making an effort to be friendly.

Sally was glad that the girl was starting to respond to Wufei, but she had things to take care of.

"Well, since that's settled, why don't you boys leave us alone for a bit and I'll let you know when you can come back."

The two men nodded and headed out the door.

"What do you think, Quatre? Is she going to talk to us any time soon?" Wufei asked as they leaned against the wall outside the girl's room.

Quatre shook his head. "It's hard to say. I don't think she's really afraid of us."

"Then _why_ isn't she talking?" Wufei wondered, the frustration coming out in his tone.

"I don't know. Until her shoulder is out of that brace I doubt she'll be able to write well enough to tell us."

Wufei grunted and the two fell silent.

* * *

Inside the room Sally was removing unnecessary tubes and needles from the girl.

"Okay, so I'm going to show you how to remove and replace the IV so you can get up and use the bathroom and shower for yourself, okay?"

The IV was one that had an attachment that could be removed from a needle anchored into the skin. Sally showed her how it worked and had the girl do it a few times to make sure she had it down.

"Okay…now just relax. I'm going to remove this catheter. You'll probably be a little sore but it shouldn't be too bad and it will stop hurting soon."

Once the catheter was gone Sally helped the girl to stand up. The girl clutched Sally's hand as she wobbled on unsteady legs.

"Don't worry, you'll get steadier as you go. And if you ever need help, just let us know. The boys won't let you fall."

Sally helped the girl to take a few steps, glad to note that the girl got more stable the longer she was up. Sally pulled over the chair and had the girl hold onto it for balance while she checked her back. It looked better but Sally was still concerned at the possibility for infection. With the girl's health as poor as it was it would be only too easy for her to pick up a bug.

"Does it hurt when I touch it like this?"

The girl shook her head.

"How about like this?"

She flinched.

"I'll take that as a yes. It may not feel like it, but your back is healing quite well. You'll have scars, but there's nothing I can do to fix it. I guess if you're really self-conscious about it you can look into plastic surgery later on. Okay, let's get you measured."

The girl stood patiently as Sally took her measurements and wrote them down.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're too skinny. So I'm going to get you some clothes that are a little big because I expect you to fill out a bit, okay?"

The girl nodded. Sally hoped she hadn't scared the girl into eating so much she made herself sick. The girl would fill out naturally just from being fed regularly.

"Maybe I'll start having the boys order you a little junk food just to get some meat on your bones. I'm sure you could handle ice cream or a little chocolate right?"

The girl smiled. It wasn't a scared or shy grin, it was a genuine smile. Sally couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay, I think that's it for now. I'll be back in a bit with some clothes that won't flap when you walk." She winks at me. "Do you need to use the facilities before I let the boys back in?"

The girl nodded and went into the bathroom. Sally set about straightening the blankets on the bed and gathering up everything she was taking out with her. The girl left the bathroom and carefully made her way back to the bed. Sally adjusted the bed height so the girl would have an easier time getting in and out when she needed to and then helped the girl get settled. Once the girl had the IV hooked back up Sally nodded her approval.

"All set? Great. I should be back in a few hours. Do you have a particular color that you like?"

The girl carefully wrote out 'Not pink.'

Sally laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

"How much longer do you suppose we'll be waiting out here?"

Wufei shrugged. "Until Sally is done."

Quatre rolled his eyes and scanned the halls for potential threats. There weren't any. Not unless you counted Heero.

Heero strode up to the two pilots with a frown. "Why are you not guarding the girl?"

"I am. Sally needed some privacy so I am waiting for her to finish with the girl," Quatre explained.

"Is the girl ready for a book?"

"She probably will be when Sally is finished with her."

"Good. I'll come by in a while. Just so you know, Duo will be covering the beginning of Trowa's shift. I have to speak to him for a few minutes."

Quatre nodded. "Okay. Is there something we should know?"

"I'd rather not speak of it here. Too many nosy ears. I'll make time to inform you later, perhaps after I speak with Trowa."

The door opened and Sally exited. "She's all yours. Oh, and since you're all here would you pass on to Duo and Trowa that I've approved for her to have ice cream, chocolate and other such treats?"

Quatre nodded and went back into the room. He made a mental note to order the girl a treat with her dinner that night.

Heero frowned.

"Don't look at me in that tone of voice, Heero. She needs to put on weight."

"Too much sugar is bad for her."

"I'm not saying it isn't. A little ice cream or chocolate would probably do her some good. It's called comfort food for a reason."

Heero rolled his eyes and grunted.

"Well, I'm off to do some shopping. You boys have fun and stay out of trouble," Sally said as she turned to leave.

"Do you need assistance?" Wufei asked.

Sally turned back. "No, thank you. I'll be shopping for clothing for the girl. You'll probably just be bored. I'll be fine."

Wufei nodded and watched for a moment as Sally walked away.

"So when are you going to ask her?"

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. We can all see it. When are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"When the time is right."

"Well…ask her before the summer's out. I bet Duo you would."

"Stakes?"

"Whoever loses does laundry for six months."

"Duo hates doing laundry, doesn't he?"

"With a passion. The man can pilot anything, dismantle and reassemble any weapon and rebuild cars from scratch but he can't work a washing machine."

"In that case, I'll do my best to make sure you win."

The two friends shared a smirk before parting ways.

* * *

Sally hummed to herself as she drove to the store. It was amazing how well the girl was doing. If they could get her to talk it would be better but Sally was willing to be patient. With any luck they would win her over soon.

Sally's thoughts continued as she parked and went into the mall. What would the girl like? She'd said no pink but hadn't mentioned if she had a favorite color. Sally decided just to get a variety of colors. First she went to a store that sold underthings. Those could be any color and were a definite necessity.

She found jeans, several shirts and some pajama sets that would be comfortable for the girl to lounge around in. In any case, the clothes she'd found should keep Chase from claiming neglect on the part of the Preventers. She was on her way back to the hospital with her purchases when she realized she hadn't found the girl any shoes.

"It's not like she's going anywhere any time soon," Sally muttered to herself. And if pressed, she would simply tell Chase that the girl would get shoes as soon as she was well enough to go to the store and pick some out.

Sally parked and grabbed the bags. She hoped the girl liked what she'd picked out.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is reading this story. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Quatre glanced at the girl as he went into the room. "Everything okay?" he asked.

The girl nodded.

"Good. Are you feeling tired?"

The girl shook her head. Quatre felt a smile twitch at the edge of his lips. She was much more relaxed than she had been earlier.

"Good. That must mean you're getting better. Would you like to watch television?"

The girl shook her head. Quatre was confused. If she didn't want to watch TV, what would she _do_ all afternoon? He waited patiently while she wrote something.

'Can I see another book?'

"You want to look through another book of pictures?" Quatre wanted to make sure he understood her.

She nodded.

"If you're sure you're okay with that I'll get Heero to bring you another one."

The girl nodded again. Heero would be glad. Quatre went over to the phone and called Heero.

"Yeah?"

"She's ready for a book whenever you want to bring it by."

"That's convenient. I'll be by shortly."

Quatre hung up and decided to turn on the television while they waited. He didn't want to make the girl uncomfortable by sitting in silence. He frowned to himself after a few minutes. She was worried about something. He glanced over at her. She looked like she was about to cry.

"Hey, what's that look for?" Maybe she had changed her mind about the book and was afraid he would be mad at her for it.

She shakily wrote 'Just thinking about my friends.'

The situation was a lot deeper than Quatre had thought it was. He turned off the television so he could focus on her. He moved the chair closer to her. "I'm sure they miss you just as much."

The girl was still upset about it but before she could write anything else there was a knock on the door. Quatre wasn't sure if he should ask Heero to come back later. Maybe Heero could leave the book behind and pick it up after the girl was able to handle it. But then, maybe she just needed the distraction. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and smiled at her before getting up to answer it.

Heero entered the room with two books under his arm. Quatre frowned.

"I know you might not be up for it," Heero said before Quatre could tell him off, "but I thought it would be wise to go through the book of suspects we haven't apprehended yet. I thought it might put you at ease and if he's still out there, we can hunt him down sooner. The second book is in case you're feeling up to looking at more later."

Quatre nodded his approval and sat in a chair as the girl took the book. Heero leaned against the wall, giving the girl space. She didn't jump as much as she had when she looked at the first book, but it was obvious she was nervous. Her hands shook. She finished the book and shook her head.

"Then he's in custody somewhere. So the sooner you identify him, the sooner we can charge him," Heero told her.

"Heero, what did I say about not pushing her?"

"She can go at her own pace," Heero snapped at Quatre. He took the book from the girl and carefully said, "Just let me know when you're ready for the next book." He didn't want the girl to think he was angry at her and since she didn't look about to cry, he was satisfied that he'd managed it.

He opened the door to find Sally about to knock. He stepped aside so she could enter.

"Hello, Heero. How are things?"

"Better than expected." Heero chose not to elaborate. He left and headed back to his office to make a few notes and prepare the next book for the girl. He had barely walked into his office when his cell phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Babe! How's it goin'?"

"It's fine. Did you remember that you're going to cover the first bit of Trowa's shift so I can speak to him?"

"Yeah…I remember."

Heero frowned. Duo sounded a little bit down. "After I'm done with Trowa we can get some dinner if you'd like."

"You mean it?" That had worked. Duo definitely sounded perkier.

"Of course. We haven't had time to go out for a while and I'd like some 'us' time."

"I'd like that, too, 'Ro. Maybe we should order in and stay at home," he said suggestively.

"Whatever you'd like to do is fine with me, Duo, as long as we get to spend some time together."

"You really are the best, 'Ro."

"Think it over and we'll do what you want once I'm done talking to Trowa."

"Sounds good. Love you!"

"I love you, too, Duo."

* * *

"What was that about?" Sally asked as she shut the door behind her.

"Heero had her look through the book of suspects we haven't apprehended yet and her kidnapper wasn't in there," Quatre told her.

"Well, I take it that's good news." Sally smiled at the girl and raised the bags of clothes. "Why don't we get you into something more comfortable?"

"I'll just wait outside," Quatre said, getting up.

The girl waited until the door had closed behind the blonde before detaching the IV and slipping off the bed. Sally watched, but was ready to catch her should she fall. She was a little unsteady and kept a hand on the bed, but she was getting better.

"You'll get steadier the more you're up and about," Sally assured her. "Your muscles have been on bed rest and just need to be worked a little to get them up to speed."

Sally went over to the bed and emptied the bags so the girl could see what she had. She smiled to herself as the girl's eyes widened and she tentatively touched each article of clothing and each toiletry as if she couldn't believe they were actually for her.

"I think until your back is better it would be better to 'go commando.' If you stick to the pajamas no one will expect you to wear a bra anyway. I just don't want the straps to be uncomfortable."

The girl grabbed the pen and paper from the bed and hastily wrote, 'Thank you. You didn't have to get me so much.'

Sally laughed at her enthusiasm. "You're welcome. I have to admit, I had a lot of fun shopping for someone besides myself for once. Now why don't you try some of this on and make sure I got the right sizes, okay?"

The girl nodded and let Sally remove her shoulder brace and help her out of the hospital gown. Sally noted that several of the girl's bruises were beginning to change color.

Indicating the shoulder brace Sally said, "Now, I'm going to show you how to put this back on, but the boys know how these work, so if you get stuck, they can help, okay?"

First order of business was to get the girl some underwear. Once that was taken care of Sally handed the girl a pair of jeans. The girl slipped them on and her eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip.

"I got them large on purpose, remember?" Sally checked the fit. "These will fit just fine once you've had the chance to put on a little weight. Don't go eating yourself sick, though. It will happen naturally over time now that you're eating regularly. These should last until you get out on your own, anyway. What would you like to try on next?"

The girl looked over the clothes and picked up a pair of pajamas. Sally had bought three different pairs in red, blue and green. The girl had picked out the green ones. Sally wondered if that was her favorite color. There were shirts available in black, maroon, purple, dark blue and turquoise. The girl hadn't looked twice at them.

Sally let the girl put the pajamas on by herself. She wanted to make sure the girl could handle it when Sally couldn't stop by to help. The boys would help her if she needed it, but Sally wasn't sure the girl would be comfortable with that. The girl finished dressing and stood there, feeling the softness of the cloth. The sight made Sally sad. How long had it been since the girl had new clothes or at least clothes that weren't threadbare? Now wasn't the time for sadness. Sally forced a grin.

"I'm glad you like them," Sally said, beginning to fold up the clothes on the bed and packing them back into the shopping bags. "I'll see if we can't find you a suitcase or duffel bag to keep this in. Why don't you try to get that brace on for yourself, just so you can get a feel for it?"

The girl picked up the brace and slung it on her shoulder. It slid off as she tried to get the straps in place. She pursed her lips and tried again. After the sixth time, Sally decided to step in.

"You'll get it with practice," Sally said as she finished attaching the straps. "I didn't get you any shoes. But I suppose they'll wait. It isn't like you'll be running around outside in the next couple of weeks."

Sally hesitated. She knew Une wanted the girl to talk but she wasn't sure if now was a good time to try or not. Of course, there was only one way to find out.

"I don't suppose you've given much thought as to where you'll go when you're better," she said carefully.

She was surprised that the girl nodded slightly.

"You have? So what are your plans?"

The girl bit her lip as she wrote out 'It depends.'

"On how the investigation goes?"

She nodded.

"Well, why don't we just keep it on the back burner? You've got time to come up with a plan of action."

The girl climbed onto the bed and crossed her legs. She seemed sad. Sally decided to leave her alone for now. She put the bags of clothes under the bed. She'd try to remember to bring in a spare suitcase or duffel bag later.

"Do you need anything?"

The girl shook her head. She still seemed a little down in the dumps. Sally thought about bringing up the meeting with the lawyer but decided to wait. The girl was already upset and Sally wasn't sure how she'd react to being told she was meeting with a man who wanted to prove that nothing bad had happened to her.

"Well, in that case I'd better go make my rounds. I'll see you later." Sally went out the door and caught Quatre before he went back inside. "She seems a little down so try not to push her too much."

Quatre frowned. "Do you know why?"

Sally sighed. "She seemed excited about the clothes and I made the mistake of asking if she had thought about her future. I think…I think it has to do with that."

Quatre nodded. "She's probably just trying to figure out what she can do without an education."

"But once she gets her GED she can go to college and it won't be a problem."

"True. But until then she'll probably feel pretty helpless. I'll try to distract her."

"Let me know if you need anything," Sally said as she left.

Quatre glanced at his watch as he went back into the room. "I hadn't realized how late it's gotten. You must be getting hungry. What would you like to eat?"

He handed her the menu along with Sally's list. She was awake enough to pick her own food and he knew that she would do what Sally had asked and pick something that wouldn't make her sick.

The girl took her time poring over the list and the menu before selecting vegetable soup.

Quatre nodded and reached out to pick up the phone when there was a knock on the door. Was that Duo already? It really was later than Quatre thought. He opened the door and let Duo in.

"Shift change," Duo announced cheerfully. "Cat still got your tongue?" he asked the girl.

The girl thought for a second before sticking her tongue out.

Duo grinned. It was nice to see her playing. "At least you've got a sense of humor today."

"I was just about to order her some food. Do you want anything?" While he was glad that the girl wasn't stuck in a funk, Quatre wanted to make sure she got something to eat. It had been a long time since her last meal.

"Nope. I already ate." Duo looked at the girl. "If I'd'a thought about it I would've brought you some edible food."

"Duo, don't bias her against the food here."

"Hey, I'm just lookin' out for her welfare. No sense killing her taste buds if it can be avoided," Duo said as he plopped into the chair.

Quatre rolled his eyes and called the cafeteria. That task completed, he turned back to the girl. "I have some things to attend to. If you need anything, just ask Duo. He'll get it for you."

The girl nodded and Quatre slipped out the door.

* * *

"Is everything set?"

"Yes, Mr. Chase. We will start in a few moments."

"Good." Chase waited for the reporters to assemble themselves. He looked at the man and the woman next to him. "You know what to do."

The woman nodded. "Yeah."

"I thought we were done with this whole thing," the man said with a frown.

Chase looked down his nose at the man. "Would you rather I go back on my end of the deal? After all, I don't have the girl at the moment."

"Wouldn't be our fault that you lost her," the woman shot back. "That's your problem. We delivered as promised."

Chase raised his eyebrow at the woman. "I think you need to remember just _who_ holds the power here. _You_ are to do as you are told. You know what will happen if you don't."

The man and woman shut their mouths and nodded. They knew better than most. They'd watched their close friends, the Feldmans, get kicked out onto the streets and have to sell their daughter to Chase to get back in his good graces. They got a box a few weeks later with a few strands of hair, a piece of the sweater she'd been wearing and an ear complete with an earring her mother had given her for her birthday. There was no doubt what had happened to the Feldman girl. True, they'd traded a girl to Chase in exchange for certain conveniences, but the man obviously wanted the girl alive for something so one or both of them would pay the price.

"Are you ready, sir?"

Chase nodded. "Yes." He glanced at his watch. It was late enough that he hoped to completely inconvenience the Colonel and her agents. He would teach them not to mess with him. They could have all the rules they wanted. He would get the girl. She wouldn't dare to defy him. This little press conference would also help to discredit those nosy Preventers. All it took was the right story to get the public on his side. The politicians wouldn't be able to keep up with all the complaints when he was done.

"Good evening. We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you breaking news. Earlier this week a girl was abducted from her home and is now being held hostage by the Preventers. And the man who discovered this heinous crime is Mr. Donovan Chase. Good evening, sir."

Chase nodded to the reporter. The man was one of Decart's and was there to help goad the other channel's reporters into a frenzy against the Preventers.

"Good evening."

"Would you fill us in on the details you've managed to unearth?"

"I'd be only too glad to. I was called to the property of a client when he filed a complaint about trespassers. I arrived at said property to find it swarming with Preventer agents. I spoke to the agent in charge and informed him that the property owner wanted to them to vacate the premises. I was rudely informed that not only would they not leave, but if _I_ didn't leave, they'd arrest _me_!"

* * *

"Colonel Une, I think you should see this."

Une frowned as Grace came into her office and turned on the television. She was _trying_ to go home for the night.

She swore as she recognized Donovan Chase.

"Grace, get Agent Yuy in here immediately."

* * *

"What did you need to tell me, Heero?" Trowa asked as he stepped into Heero's office.

Heero indicated that Trowa should sit. Trowa frowned. Sitting meant that this might take a while.

"You remember me mentioning Donovan Chase, the lawyer that showed up at the site?"

Trowa nodded.

"Colonel Une and Sally have given him permission to meet with the girl."

Trowa swore.

"My thoughts exactly," Heero said dryly. "However, I have added some stipulations, which he has agreed to. One of which is that you, me and Wufei will be in the room with her during this meeting and Duo and Quatre will be waiting outside in case we need backup for any reason."

Trowa frowned. "Why not let Quatre be inside the room?"

"He's too high profile. I'm sure the lawyer will recognize him and act differently because of it. Besides, Quatre has said that he doesn't want the entire ESUN knowing he's a Preventer right now. I wouldn't put it past this guy to blab everything to the media if things don't go his way."

"But if we need him as backup, the lawyer will find out anyway."

"If we need Duo and Quatre to come in, the lawyer will be arrested. I've already told Une that I'm not taking any chances with the girl's safety and if the three of us can't handle Chase it will be grounds for detaining him. Should that happen Quatre will have ample time to get a cover story in place to discredit him."

Trowa nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually. I wanted to let you know that the forensics report came back."

Trowa internally steeled himself for what Heero was about to tell him.

"It's all here," Heero said, giving Trowa a couple of pieces of paper. "Basically…that girl was fortunate to survive. I'm not sure how much she was exposed to but there were pieces of more than 300 different girls. And the age range is…" Heero took a deep breath and let it out. "The ages range from 3 to 21."

Trowa just stared at Heero. "Three?"

Heero nodded.

Trowa wanted to throw up. What kind of horrible person preyed on three year olds?

Just then Heero's phone rang making them both jump.

"Yuy here."

"Agent Yuy, Colonel Une needs to see you, sir."

"I'll be there shortly." He hung up and looked at Trowa. "I need to report to Une. Can you tell Quatre the plan? I don't know that I'll have time now."

Trowa nodded.

"Oh, and Trowa? I think it would be best to leave the forensics report out for a while. We'll need to ease Quatre into that one."

Trowa nodded again and went to find Quatre while Heero headed for the colonel's office. Grace showed him in immediately.

"What—"

"Shh. Just watch," Colonel Une said, indicating the television.

Heero swore under his breath.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

_"Did they give a reason?"_

_"They claimed it was a crime scene. They're not releasing many details, though, so I've had to do my own digging. What I've found are reports of an illegal brothel and missing girls. From what I can tell, the Preventers are trying to pin a human trafficking ring on my client and by not telling him what they're accusing him of, they hope to keep him from building a credible defense. In truth the only real crime I could find was the disappearance of the girl my client was renting the property to. She'd called him in a panic when the Preventers showed up, which is why he called me to check on it. She was nowhere to be found."_

_"Had the Preventers seen her?"_

_"They claimed she was hurt and they took her to the hospital as a precaution. In fact, they suggested that my client was responsible for her injuries. They said she had been starved and beaten and it looked like it had been going on for quite some time. Considering he is confined to a wheelchair I'd say that's quite a feat. I have a current picture of her here. It was taken two weeks ago."_

The picture showed a healthy girl standing outside the house, smiling at the camera. The picture wasn't up long enough for Heero to confirm that it was the girl they'd found but the resemblance was definitely there.

_"Does that look like someone who's been beaten and starved? Amanda Fitzgibbons is a college student. She was excited about the property because it has large common rooms which she could use for study sessions and rehearsals."_

_"Rehearsals?"_

_"Yes. She's a theatre major. Her life goal is to become an A-list actress in Hollywood and on Broadway."_

Heero, watching with Une, swore again. "I knew she was lying," he muttered.

* * *

Duo watched the girl. She watched him. After a minute she picked up the book Heero had dropped off and started flipping through the pages. Duo decided he could turn on the television. He figured it wouldn't bother her.

There was nothing on again. He flipped through the channels, pausing on the news.

_"The Preventers must be stopped. Unlawful entry and false accusations against my client are only the beginning. What's to stop them from doing this again?"_

At the sound of a book hitting the floor, Duo looked at the girl. She was standing next to the bed staring at the television. Duo looked back at the TV.

_"Mr. Chase, are you saying the Preventers are overstepping their bounds?"_

_"I'm afraid so. I have been informed that they have a so-called witness that they think will be my client's downfall. My suspicion is that they only have the girl he was renting the house to. Her parents are quite concerned about her. I have an appointment to meet with her tomorrow and I plan to get to the bottom of this."_

Duo looked back at the girl. Her eyes were wide and glued to the screen.

"Hey kid…Ki-id…HE-EY!" he yelled. That got her attention. She jumped and looked at Duo, fear in her eyes. "What the hell, kid?"

The girl pointed at the book and back to the television. Duo looked back and forth between the two objects trying to figure out what she was trying to say.

"That guy's the lawyer for the guys in the book. Now that you point it out, it seems odd he'd represent all those guys." He thought for a minute. "That's not what you're trying to tell me, is it?" he asked softly. This would be so much easier if she would just _talk_ to him.

Where was Quatre when Duo needed him?

The girl gave him an exasperated look and turned her attention back to the television with a frown.

* * *

Trowa didn't have to go far to find Quatre. The blonde had been on his way to see Heero anyway.

"Heero had to leave. He asked that I fill you in."

Quatre nodded. "That's fine. Have you had dinner yet? I'm starving."

"I ate not long ago. I figured the girl would have eaten before I came on shift and I didn't want to eat in front of her."

"Well we got a bit distracted so she hasn't eaten yet. In fact, Duo showed up just as I was ordering her dinner." Quatre headed in the direction of the hospital cafeteria. Heero's office was in a building across the street from the hospital so he'd walked over. He supposed he could have picked somewhere else to go but the cafeteria was closest and he was too hungry to decide on something else.

Trowa raised an eyebrow as he fell into step with his friend. "What distracted you?"

"Sally went shopping and bought the girl some clothes to wear since the brace is off her leg and she's been given the go-ahead to be up and about if she wants. Sally thought it would be awkward for her to walk around in an open-backed gown, especially with us in the room. So I was waiting outside the room while the girl got dressed. I think she must have tried on everything Sally bought because it took forever."

"Sally probably wanted to make sure everything fit."

"Probably. What did Heero have to say?"

"Colonel Une and Sally are allowing the lawyer to meet with the girl." Quatre was surprised at the venom in Trowa's voice. "It's ridiculous. What do they think will happen? It's not like she's going to suddenly start talking. If anything it'll probably stress her out enough to make her pass out."

"They're letting a stranger meet with her?"

Trowa nodded.

Quatre frowned at how angry Trowa truly was. On the outside he didn't seem more than annoyed but inside, he was seething. "Why would they do that?"

"Heero said it was Une's idea. Part of him getting to meet with her is that Heero, Wufei and I will be in the room with her and you and Duo will stand guard outside in case we need backup for any reason."

"Would you rather I was in the room?"

"Heero said that wasn't a good idea. He seemed to think the lawyer would tell everyone you were working with us if he saw you."

Quatre busied himself with picking out something to eat as he thought that over. True, he didn't want everyone to know that he wasn't actually on L4 right now, but the thought of the girl meeting with the lawyer was upsetting Trowa so much that Quatre was considering trading with him anyway.

The cafeteria was busier than usual and it took the two agents a few minutes to get through the lines and find a place to sit.

"Was that all Heero told you?" Quatre asked as they sat at the table. "You seem awfully upset for that to be the only thing."

Trowa looked away. He hated lying to his friend but didn't want to upset him, either. "He mentioned the forensics report."

Quatre stopped eating and looked at his friend. "I can't imagine it was anything good."

Trowa shook his head. "I'd rather not put that on you right now. I haven't even had time to read the report. And the girl we have is more important than the ones we can't save."

Quatre nodded and slowly ate his dinner as he digested the information. Trowa was right. Getting upset over dead girls was pointless when there was a living one that needed their help. There would be time to mourn their loss later.

"I suppose I ought to let Duo go home," Trowa said, standing.

"I'll go with you," Quatre said, standing as well. "Sally said the girl could have treats like ice cream and chocolate now and I wanted to order her a treat but I forgot. If you'll give me a few minutes I'll get her something and we can take it up to her."

Trowa nodded. A few more minutes wouldn't kill Duo and bringing the girl a treat would make Quatre happy.

Quatre picked out a chocolate bar and went to the cashier. "Please put this on the tab for room 531."

The cashier frowned. "Were you expecting an order to be sent to that room?"

"Yes, an order of vegetable soup and a drink."

"I'm very sorry. It seems that order hasn't been filled yet. Would you like me to get it for you now?"

"Please do."

The cashier went to the kitchen and returned a moment later with the requested meal. "I'm terribly sorry about that. It seems that in the rush it got overlooked."

"It's quite alright," Quatre told her, even though he was actually upset that the girl still hadn't been able to eat. By taking the food to her himself he knew she would be able to eat and not be forgotten again.

As they left the cafeteria, Quatre started to feel uneasy. He frowned as he tried to figure out what was causing it. Suddenly his gut ran cold and he stopped in his tracks.

Trowa took a few steps before realizing his companion wasn't keeping up. He turned and was surprised to see that Quatre had gone pale.

"Quatre?"

"Something's wrong…really wrong."

"Who is it?"

Quatre took a few deep breaths as he focused. His eyes widened. "The girl! We need to get there now!"

Abandoning the tray of food on the nearest table, the two agents practically ran to the stairwell and dashed up the stairs. There wasn't time to wait for the elevator.

* * *

_"Mr. Chase your client has been accused of some very awful things. Is he truly capable of committing such atrocities?"_

_"Of course not. __No one__ is capable of such crimes against humanity. It's all propaganda designed to make the Preventers look competent."_

"What a crock," Duo muttered, aiming the remote at the television. It was obviously upsetting the girl and Quatre would have his head if he found out. Besides, this was something Heero and Une would handle.

Just as he tried to push the button, the girl grabbed the remote out of his hand. He hadn't thought she could move that fast.

"Hey! What's got you so wound up?" She hadn't acted like this before.

She pointed at the television.

"Okay, I get it, you're watchin' this." Duo raised his hands in surrender and turned his attention back to the TV. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to watch it, seeing as the guy was totally dissing the Preventers.

_"In fact, we have the girl's parents here with a plea that the Preventers release her from custody."_

A man and a woman joined the lawyer. The woman had frizzy bleached blonde hair and the man had a receding hairline. Duo glanced at the girl, who was intently watching the proceedings. He couldn't see much family resemblance. He wondered if she'd been adopted. Maybe she took after a grandmother. She didn't look anything like her mom and the only thing she seemed to have in common with her dad was black hair.

Duo focused back on the television as the man spoke.

_"Please, Preventers, we just want our little girl back. This week without her has been an eternity to us."_

_"There you have it folks, a heartfelt plea from a grieving father for the return of a beloved daughter. We can only hope the Preventers will be reasonable and let her go."_

* * *

As they reached the fifth floor landing, Quatre grabbed his chest and sank to his knees. "I c-can't…it…h-hurts too m-much."

Trowa frowned. "I'm not leaving you here." He grabbed the blonde's wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Try to block it out. The girl needs you to tell us what's wrong."

Dragging Quatre down the hall, Trowa hurried to the girl's room. He didn't bother with knocking. He opened the door to see the girl staring at the television. Her jaw was slack and she gave a slight shake of her head.

"Grab her!" Quatre cried out half a second before the girl's knees gave out on her.

Trowa dove into the room and caught her just before she hit the floor.

* * *

"She was in on it the whole time!"

"Calm down Agent Yuy. She is still in custody, don't forget. And why would she go to such elaborate lengths to cover this up? It doesn't make sense." Une pulled the girl's file and made some notes. "Amanda Fitzgibbons…we need to run a report on her. See if she has a criminal record. Check the name against the missing persons reports. Get her fingerprints if you can and run them."

"We already did all of that. It turned up nothing."

"You have a name to go on now."

Heero grunted.

"Heero…I know it seems as though she's part of this but I have my doubts. You said yourself that Chase wasn't to be trusted."

Heero frowned but didn't reply. He _had_ said something to that effect. What was Une's point?

"We know she isn't telling us who she is. She probably has a reason for it. We don't even know if her real name _is_ Amanda Fitzgibbons. It might be a clever ruse."

Heero snorted.

"I'm serious, Yuy. We've had a hell of a time getting her to trust us. If we start interrogating her and she isn't really involved, it could undo all of the progress that's been made. I think Chase knows more about what's going on in that house than he's letting on and that might be what he's trying to accomplish."

"Don't you get it? It's all part of the act."

"I disagree. You have permission to accuse her of working with Chase. _However_, because of the possibility of this being a stunt, I think it would be best if you didn't call her by her name. Sally said he'd manipulated her. There's a chance her name is a trigger of some kind."

Heero grunted. "I _will_ be confronting her, make no mistake about that."

"If the others didn't watch this, I think it would be best to keep them from knowing her name as well. She might trust us more if we don't force her identity into the open."

"Any other restrictions?"

"Don't do anything stupid."

Heero glared at her.

"I mean it. That girl is still being used as a pawn. Chase is still as slimy and reprehensible as he was the first time you set eyes on him."

"I will interrogate her. If she can't convince me she's innocent, she'll spend the night in jail."

"Fair enough. Let me know what you find out."

Heero nodded and left Une's office.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Super long chapter for me but I'm sure you don't mind. There just wasn't a good place to split this one...Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Duo looked at the door at Quatre's cry. He jumped up to catch the girl but Trowa was faster.

"Shit! I'm sorry! I—"

"Duo it's okay," Trowa told him quietly over the girl's head. He carefully held the girl, not wanting to accidentally hurt her as she stiffened in his arms. "Hey, what's this?" he asked the girl softly.

The girl went limp and burst into tears. Trowa could only hold her as sobs racked her body.

Quatre attempted to take a step into the room but the assault on his emotions was too much for him to handle. He had to settle for standing in the doorway. "Trowa, what happened?" he asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Can you calm her down? Please?" Quatre begged. Her hysteria was increasing and the longer she stayed upset the worse it got for Quatre.

"Trowa…please…it hurts."

Trowa looked over at the blonde. He looked like he was about to pass out. Trowa turned his attention to Duo, who was biting his lip, unsure of what to do.

"Duo, take Quatre out while I calm her down. See if you can tell him what brought this on."

Duo nodded and led Quatre down the hall.

"Breathe, Quat…that's it. Here, sit down." Duo pulled a chair over for Quatre to sit in.

"Wh-what h-happened tonight, D-Duo?" Quatre choked out as he rubbed his chest, willing the pain to subside.

Duo scratched the back of his head. "Honestly? I'm not really sure what set her off."

"Duo? Quatre? Are you okay?"

The two pilots looked up to see Wufei coming down the hall.

"Hey, 'Fei. What're you doin' here?"

"Not that it's any of your business but I was coming to see Sally. What's wrong Quatre?"

"The girl is _really_ upset about something. Duo was watching her when it happened but…he's not sure what caused it," Quatre explained, still focusing on trying to filter out the girl's pain.

"Do I need to get Sally?" Wufei asked.

"Not just yet. It might be not be serious."

Duo snorted. "Yeah, right."

Quatre was suddenly overcome with anger that wasn't his. He looked around Duo to see Heero getting off the elevator.

"Heero? What's wrong?" Quatre asked, getting to his feet with some effort.

Duo turned and frowned as he saw how angry his boyfriend was. Most people probably wouldn't have been able to tell, but Duo could. "What's got you riled up, 'Ro?"

"Where's the girl?" Heero demanded.

"In her room with Trowa. What's going on?"

Heero grunted and headed for the girl's room. The three pilots exchanged confused looks before following.

* * *

Back in the room Trowa held the girl for a moment after they were alone. He was surprised when she brought her good arm up to hug him as she cried. He thought she would push him away but instead it was like she was trying to accept his comfort.

Trowa wondered if she would tell him what had upset her. "Shhhh…it's okay."

He picked her up and sat on the bed, holding her in his lap as she continued to cry onto his shirt. He wondered how Quatre was doing as he rubbed gentle circles on her back. "Calm down, everything will be all right," he told her gently. It took a few more minutes but she finally calmed down enough to stop crying. She sat limply, hiccupping in his lap, worn out from her outburst.

"Would you like to try and tell me what happened?" He asked after it seemed like she was done bawling. He didn't want to set her off again by making her talk, so he looked around and spotted her pen and paper, which he handed to her.

Her hands shook as she took the writing implements from him. She stared at the paper. The longer she stared, the more he wondered if she would be able to tell him. He was relieved when she finally started writing.

'Lawyer = Perdu'

He had a hard time deciphering it, but it didn't matter. He had no idea what she was trying to say. "I don't understand. Can you give me a little more to go on?"

The girl looked disappointed and stared down at the paper again. Trowa let her think. It couldn't be easy to have to write everything that was going on in her head and she wasn't even able to use her dominant hand. He figured she deserved a little patience.

The door burst open, making Trowa reach for his gun, but he left it holstered as it registered that Heero was the one who had entered without clearance.

"_You,_" Heero growled as he pointed a finger at the girl. "You've been working for _them_ the whole time haven't you?" He glared at her, daring her to defy him.

The girl stiffened in Trowa's arms as her eyes widened in terror.

"Oh, Heero, how can you even ask that?" Quatre asked from the doorway, where he was being supported by Wufei and Duo. The girl had calmed briefly but Heero had undone most of it. Had Quatre had the energy, he would have chewed Heero out.

Heero turned on the blonde. "Did you watch the press conference?" he demanded. "Her_ parents_ said she's only been gone a week. Funny how that's how long she's been here, isn't it?"

Quatre shook his head. "Heero, she's not the one lying."

"What the hell makes you so sure?"

"I can _feel_ it, Heero." Quatre came into the room, Duo and Wufei still at his sides.

"Quatre, she's playing on your empathy." Heero was certain of it. He knew Quatre had a soft heart and Heero considered it to be both a strength and a weakness. Today it was a liability. The girl was manipulating him.

"She doesn't know about my empathy. No one told her. And the only people that know about it are in this room." Well, Sally knew as well but that was a minor detail.

Duo watched the exchange. Quatre looked ready to collapse and Heero was furious. A glance at Wufei told Duo that if Heero made a move, Wufei would take him down. Duo decided to let him. Heero was stronger than Duo was, he wasn't too proud to admit it. He was stronger than Wufei, too, but at least Wufei had years of martial arts experience to fall back on. Duo could always jump in and help when Heero started to get the better of the Chinese man. The two of them had a chance to take him. It would be better if Trowa was in a position to help but the girl was clinging to him. Duo knew Trowa would do everything to keep the girl safe from Heero, but it would be difficult to do much with her on his lap.

Heero turned to look at the girl. He narrowed his eyes. "They reported that you were going to school to be an actress. I have to say you were pretty convincing."

The girl just stared at him. Heero almost smirked. He had her now. She'd have to come clean with him.

Wufei didn't have to be an empath to see that the girl was trying to comprehend Heero's accusation. Wufei couldn't believe that she was lying to them. There was too much evidence against it.

"Heero, you can't fake her injuries," Wufei said. He was sure Heero would turn on him and he wasn't disappointed.

"It's all part of the setup. And it explains why her parents never bothered with a missing persons report." There. Concrete evidence that it was all a lie. Heero was triumphant.

Quatre felt the need to throw up. Heero wasn't helping the girl to calm down at all. She wasn't panicked like someone caught in a lie. She was genuinely upset about this.

"Heero, I told you. I could feel her all the way down at the cafeteria. She isn't faking this," Quatre insisted. Why couldn't Heero see that?

"You feel her guilt," Heero spat, his voice dripping with disdain.

That tore it. "I FEEL HER BETRAYAL!" Quatre yelled, giving in to his own anger at the situation. He saw the girl recoil and her jaw trembled as she fought against more tears. He had to calm himself down or risk terrifying her anew. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and focusing on quashing his anger. "Duo, what happened right before all of this?" He spoke slowly and deliberately. They needed an answer if they were going to help the girl and convince Heero of her innocence.

Duo cleared his throat, trying to buy time while he remembered exactly what had happened that evening. "Well, uh, she was looking through that book that Heero left for her and I was looking for something on TV when I chanced across that press conference. I figured it was something I shouldn't ignore, so I watched it. Next thing I know, she's standing there, gaping at the TV. When I finally managed to get her attention, she pointed back and forth between the TV and the book. I have no idea what she was getting at. I figured it was upsetting her so I went to change it and she grabbed the remote. I don't know what it was exactly that set her off; just that she was trying to tell me something about the book and the TV."

The men digested the information, each trying to make it make sense.

"I didn't see the press conference, so this doesn't make any sense to me, but see if this makes any sense to you, Heero." Trowa gave Heero the paper.

Heero took it, certain it wouldn't make any difference. He looked up sharply at the cowering girl. "You're sure about this?" he demanded.

The girl nodded, tears filling her eyes. Looking at the girl, Heero could see the despair in her eyes and decided to trust her. There was no faking that look.

"Shit. We need to move her. Tonight." Heero started pacing. He had to come up with a solution.

"What's wrong, Heero?" Duo asked. He could see his boyfriend slipping into perfect soldier mode and he wanted to groan in protest. Heero could be impossible to reason with in 'mission mode'.

Heero stopped pacing. "Perdu is Donovan Chase, the lawyer hired to represent every single member of the trafficking ring. I thought there was something fishy about that. Colonel Une already okay'd him to visit here tomorrow to see for himself if she is who he claims she is."

The girl's eyes went wide and she shook her head vigorously. Trowa held her as she trembled in terror.

Quatre closed his eyes, trying to keep his dinner down. She was more scared than when they first found her. This was bad. He was going to be physically sick if she didn't calm down soon.

Duo watched Quatre out of the corner of his eye. The blonde had gone gray and was swaying a little on his feet. He hoped Quatre wouldn't pass out. It might freak out the girl and she was upset enough as it was.

Heero ran a hand through his hair. "No one will believe us if we come right out and accuse him. Especially since he's got those people claiming she's only been gone since we took her last week." He gave the girl a calculating look. "Those weren't really your parents, were they?"

She nodded and burst into tears again. Heero was a bit surprised. She didn't look like those people. He wondered if there was more to this than there seemed. He knew most parents cared about their children even if his never had. And the girl was so upset about finding out they _didn't_ care that he surmised that they must have cared about her once, or at least they pretended to. He planned to interrogate them and get to the bottom of this.

Trowa held the girl tightly against her sobs and murmured in her ear. "It's okay…calm down. We'll get him. Relax…you're safe. We won't let him near you."

Heero looked at the other pilots. "They'll need to be kept away from her as well. If they didn't care enough about her to even file a missing person report, they don't need to see her. Wufei, see if you can get Sally here while we figure out what to do. She'll need to weigh in on this."

Wufei nodded and immediately went in search of the doctor. He asked at the nurse's station and was told where he could find her. He thought about paging her, but decided that it wouldn't be fair to the other patients. Yes, this situation was a bit of an emergency, but if necessary, they could move the girl without Sally and fill her in later. Wufei wouldn't be able to forgive himself if someone died because he made Sally leave someone that really needed her help. So instead he headed down to the third floor to find her.

Once there, she wasn't hard to locate. She was at the nurse's station filling out paperwork. He walked up to the desk silently and cleared his throat.

Sally looked up at him and smiled. "Wufei to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Wufei kept his expression neutral. "We've had a bit of a situation on the fifth floor. Heero needs to speak to you."

Sally stood. "What happened?"

"Calm down. It's nothing life threatening. It isn't safe to talk about here but we need your input."

Sally nodded and fell into step with Wufei.

* * *

Quatre leaned against the wall as Wufei left. The girl was a tiny bit calmer but it wasn't enough to keep him from wanting to puke. He watched the girl as she cowered in Trowa's arms. She seemed to be trying to stop crying, which was a good thing, but inside she was still upset, which didn't help Quatre at all.

Heero stood against the door, effectively blocking any unwanted entries. He had agreed to believe the girl and that meant taking no chances with her safety.

Trowa caught Quatre watching the girl and looked down at her. She appeared to be done crying for the moment so he set her on the bed. She immediately curled up her knees and wrapped her good arm around them. Her eyes were unfocused and troubled as she stared off into space.

"That must have been quite a shock to her," Trowa said softly as he approached Quatre.

Quatre could only nod. He still wasn't sure he'd keep his dinner down. It still hurt to breathe. If this was how he was feeling he wondered how much worse it was for the girl.

"You need to sit. Come on."

Quatre shook his head. He was afraid if he moved from the wall he'd fall over.

Trowa frowned. "Duo, help me."

Duo and Trowa each took a side and helped Quatre get to the chair. As he moved, the pain in his chest increased. Quatre clutched at his chest, mentally begging the pain to go away and let him breathe but he knew it wouldn't do any good. He couldn't block out the girl and it would be unfair to expect her not to be upset at the situation.

As his friends guided him to a chair, Quatre felt a refreshing breath of concern swirl around him. But it didn't just come from Trowa and Duo. Most of it came from the girl. He looked up at her as he sat. He rubbed his chest to help the pain dissipate.

"Thank you, for being concerned, but it's nothing. It will stop soon."

The surprise that replaced the girl's anguish made Quatre chuckle. "I should explain how this works while we wait for Sally." He shifted in the chair. It was really uncomfortable today. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. "I'm an Empath. Do you know what empathy is? Explained simply, it's when you can feel what other people feel. As an Empath I feel more intensely what other people feel, especially when their emotions are running high, like yours have been. I don't know exactly what causes the emotion, but I can usually guess and it sometimes makes it seem like I'm reading your mind. Normally, I can only feel people who are close to me physically, or those that I've had a deeper connection with, like Trowa, Heero, Duo and Wufei. Your emotions tonight were so strong that I felt your anguish in another wing of the hospital. That's why Trowa and I happened to arrive just as you collapsed."

She frowned and looked down as she absorbed the information. Quatre could feel different emotions warring inside her. She felt confused and then guilty and then unsure and then guilty again. He had to get her to stop before he got dizzy.

"Don't worry about keeping your emotions in check around me. It helps for me to know what you're feeling, especially where you aren't talking. It's how I've been able to correctly guess what you need and also how I knew that touching you that first night hurt you."

That seemed to work. The girl stopped jumping from emotion to emotion so quickly but she still felt unsure. He wanted to laugh as he felt her distrust begin to melt away. She seemed genuinely surprised at it.

He wasn't sure he could believe the change either. He cocked his head and grinned at her. She was definitely startled by the change in herself and Quatre couldn't help but chuckle at her. She blushed.

"Now Quat, what did we say about using your powers for the dark side?" Duo chided in a teasing voice. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the girl had responded positively to Quatre.

Quatre wasn't the only one relieved at the development. Trowa had been afraid that she would be unable to get over the shock. Duo had wondered if she would refuse to communicate at all anymore.

Quatre feigned a pout. "You ruin all my fun, Duo. Besides, it isn't like she was feeling anything bad." He winked at the girl who flushed a little more.

Heero opened the door at a knock, stepping aside to let Wufei and Sally in the room.

"What happened?" Sally wanted to know as she moved to inspect her patient. She frowned and carefully lifted the girl's chin. The girl's eyes were red. She'd been crying. Sally rounded on the five men. "What have you been doing to make her cry?" she demanded.

"Sally, we know who Perdu is," Heero told her quietly.

"What!?" Sally couldn't believe it. The girl had actually identified him.

"You've met Donovan Chase?"

Sally frowned. "Yes," she answered carefully. "Colonel Une had me meet with him this morning to give approval for his visit tomorrow."

"Chase is Perdu."

"No!" How could they have been so blind? Why else would a random lawyer be so set on seeing the girl? Sally was sick. They'd almost let him have access to her again.

"Unfortunately, yes. And it was pure dumb luck that Duo happened to be watching that press conference tonight. Otherwise we would've found out tomorrow and I can only imagine how that would have gone over."

Quatre didn't have to wonder. He would have been violently ill and the girl would have retreated past the point of no return. As terrified as she was it was a wonder she was even capable of responding tonight.

"Why does he always use the term 'dumb' when it comes to my luck?" Duo grumbled. He knew Heero didn't _always _say that but he had hoped that his complaint would help ease the stress in the room. Unfortunately, all he got was an eye roll from Heero. Nobody else seemed to be paying any attention to him.

"He can't see her," Sally decided. "I'll just tell Une that she took a turn for the worse and I don't know when she'll recover. We can fake her charts until he loses interest."

Heero shook his head. "It isn't that easy. Considering what she knows about him and the investment he's made with her already, I highly doubt he'd give up soon enough for your charts to be believable. She'd have to recover sometime and he'd still be waiting. However, I think you should go along with that ruse for a few days while we relocate her. It will give us a head start."

"Anything to help, Heero. Just let me know what you want me to do and I'll do it." Sally didn't want to see this girl hurt anymore.

"I knew we could count on you, Sally. I think it would be wise to keep Une in the dark until she's relocated as well. It gives her plausible deniability." Heero knew he was asking a lot of Sally. Lying to a superior officer was grounds for a court martial. However, Heero had faith that Une would be reasonable about it and go easy on Sally once the circumstances were revealed.

"Nice, Heero. Use the lawyer's own terminology against him," Duo said with a grin. And still nobody was paying attention to him. Maybe he should give up.

"So where are you going to take her?" Sally asked. She needed to know what kind of supplies the girl would need and what would be available where they were taking her.

"We haven't really gotten that far," Wufei admitted. "That's why we needed your input. We wanted to make sure wherever we sent her would be safe for her."

The pilots all thought for a minute.

Quatre was about to suggest Iria but decided against it. Her wedding was coming up and she was swamped with planning it. The L4 media was having a heyday covering the preparations. He'd had to ask Rashid to provide security for his sister after an incident with the paparazzi. Iria's background as a doctor would have been nice to have for the girl but Quatre was afraid that the girl would be caught by the media and her cover would be blown.

"We could take her to one of the safe houses," Quatre suggested slowly. "Unfortunately, the Maganacs are spread a little thin right now so one of us would have to stay with her."

Heero shook his head. "The biggest downside to that is that as soon as one of us goes missing, everyone will know something's up. Is there someone else we could trust her with?"

"How about Howard?" Duo proposed. Howard was currently in the middle of the Pacific Ocean clearing debris out of the ocean. Nobody would think to look for her there.

"Not a good idea. Being stuck on a ship surrounded by unfamiliar men is not the best place for her," Wufei said with a frown. A woman would be better for her to stay with, though that wouldn't necessarily fix the problem of security. "What about your friend Hilde?"

Wufei hadn't spent much time with the woman but she _was_ a former soldier and from what he'd seen, she could hold her own when necessary. She would be capable enough.

Duo shook his head, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "Naw…she's too busy getting her scrap yard up and running. Besides, I don't trust her boyfriend. I keep telling her she needs to leave him, but she doesn't want to see him for the dick that he is."

He'd done a background check on the guy (unauthorized of course but that was beside the point) and come up with a rap sheet that included a domestic violence charge and public intoxication on a number of occasions. So far Hilde hadn't complained to him about anything but Duo wondered if that was because he had changed or if it was because Hilde was being stubborn and refused to admit that Duo had been right.

"Okay, we're not putting her in that kind of a mess. What we need is someplace safe, with someone we can trust to keep her safe. Someplace they wouldn't think to look." Heero rubbed the back of his neck. "Relena's too high profile and I don't trust Dorothy as far as I can throw her."

"Cathy."

"Trowa, that's brilliant!" Quatre exclaimed happily. He frowned as a thought hit him. "Oh, but would she be able to take her?"

"She will if I ask." Trowa was certain Catherine wouldn't turn the girl away. And with the circus moving every few days it would make it hard for Chase to find her unless he knew she was there.

"D'you think she'll be safe there?" Duo asked. "I mean, no offense, but your sister isn't really much of a fighter."

"You've obviously never seen her throw knives." Trowa said with a smirk. "Besides, if she's with Cathy, the rest of the circus will protect her."

That was good enough for Heero. Besides, they didn't exactly have time to beat this around forever. "Call her, Trowa."

Trowa nodded and went into the hallway.

He checked his watch as the phone rang. "Pick up," he muttered. He hoped he hadn't tried to get her in the middle of a performance.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Trowa! It's so nice to hear from you! You really don't call as much as you should, you know. It makes me worry."

"Cathy—"

"You know the Manager's been asking when you'll be back and I have to tell him I don't—"

"Catherine! I don't have a lot of time here."

"Oh, sorry."

Trowa loved his sister but she was a bit of a bubblehead sometimes. "It's okay. Look, I need a favor."

"Okay."

"Where are you now?"

"We're still at the training grounds. We start touring soon. What's going on?"

Trowa looked up and down the empty halls and lowered his voice. "Long story short, I need to bring someone to you for safe keeping. I don't know how long I'll have to leave her with you."

"Trowa, we go _on tour_ in a week. I can't stay behind to babysit."

"I don't expect you to. In fact it would be better if you took her with you. Please, Cathy."

"Well…"

"Don't make me beg. I really need you to do this for me. I promise to explain everything when I get there."

Cathy sighed. "Fine. When will you be here?"

"It depends on how soon I can leave. I expect around three or four in the morning."

"Okay. I'll try to be up to let you in. But I expect _you_ to explain the new addition to the Manager. You know how he is about taking in runaways."

Trowa knew. The Manager had made him prove he was an asset and not a hindrance before letting him join up. Trowa wasn't sure the girl would be capable of doing anything that would really help out the circus but he knew the Manager was a kind man who wouldn't refuse sanctuary to the girl once he was told the situation.

"That's fine. I'll see you in the morning then."

* * *

Heero continued to give out orders. "Sally, I'll need you to set her up with any prescriptions she may need. I don't know how long we'll have to hide her."

"Say no more, Heero. I'll take care of it." She hurried out. It might take a few minutes for the pharmacy to find everything the girl needed and Sally didn't want to be the reason their departure was delayed.

"Quatre, can you set up transportation? We'll need a couple of decoys as well."

"I'm on it." Quatre left to call Rashid. He would deliver exactly what they needed.

"Duo and Wufei, you keep guard on this room. No one comes into this room except us. No exceptions."

They nodded. If Duo's charm didn't convince people to go away, Wufei's sour attitude would.

Heero looked at the girl. She was obviously frightened and seemed a little confused. Perhaps he should give her something to do. It might distract her enough to keep her from panicking and shutting down. "You make sure you're ready to go. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

She nodded and slid carefully off the bed. She went into the small bathroom but didn't shut the door. She came out a moment later with a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and a few other small toiletries. He watched as she pulled shopping bags out from under the bed and put the items inside. She frowned and picked up the book of suspects that was still splayed out on the floor, putting it on the bedside table. She picked up the book that was already on the table and held it out to Wufei, who was also watching the proceedings with what seemed like little interest.

In all actuality, he was quite interested to see how she was able to gather her few possessions with one hand. She used the brace as a make-shift basket and used her free hand to balance the objects and keep them from falling onto the floor. It was efficient enough he supposed. At least she didn't have to retrieve objects one at a time.

"Hold onto it," he said, holding his hand up. "Don't think you're getting out of studying just because you're running away to the circus." He gave the girl a small grin to let her know he was trying to lighten the mood and was pleased to see her return one before turning to place the book inside one of the bags.

The girl slid socks over her bare feet and picked up the brush, awkwardly trying to get her hair under control.

After watching her struggle for a few minutes, Duo shook his head.

"Let me help you with that." Duo quickly brushed the snarls from her hair and pulled it up into a ponytail. It would keep her hair out of her face at least.

Once Duo was done, he left her sitting on the bed and went out the door to stand guard with Wufei. Trowa came in as they were going out.

"It's all set. Cathy will take her," Trowa told Heero quietly.

"Good. We'll get you out of here as soon as possible. We're just waiting for Sally and Quatre to come back."

Trowa nodded and leaned against the wall. He would be sitting for several hours. He watched the girl. She seemed nervous and unsure. He wondered if he ought to say something to her.

Heero frowned. "Don't you have shoes?" he asked the girl.

She shook her head and looked down.

"Don't be too hard on her, Heero. It isn't like it's her fault and she didn't plan this," Trowa reminded his friend quietly.

Heero glared at him. "I know that," he hissed. "I just figured that with everything else she has she had a pair of shoes somewhere."

Trowa looked at the shopping bags. "Quatre said Sally just bought her that stuff today. She probably didn't even think about shoes since she wasn't planning on releasing the girl so soon."

Fortunately Quatre came back just then with a tray of food. Heero stuck his head out the door to ask Wufei if Sally was coming yet and was annoyed when the Shenlong Pilot shook his head. Heero came back into the room and leaned against the wall as he waited.

Quatre took the tray of food over to the girl. "Sorry this took so long. I was going to bring it earlier, but then you were upset and it kind of got lost in the confusion," he explained. He'd been lucky to catch a cafeteria worker just as they were closing up. Unfortunately the only thing they had was microwave oatmeal which the worker had messed up by putting way too much water in it. It looked like soup. Quatre had taken it because it was better than nothing. Of course he'd grabbed a candy bar for her as well. At least that would still taste good. His heart sank a little as the girl just stared at the soupy oatmeal. Maybe it reminded her of what she'd been given to eat before.

Heero could see the blank look on the girl's face. "Eat." If she hadn't eaten recently then she needed to eat now. Heero didn't know how far it was to the circus and he wasn't going to ask. The less he knew the more he could deny.

The girl automatically lifted the spoon to her mouth, chewed and swallowed but she looked empty. Heero understood the feeling. How many times had he blindly followed orders before Duo had taught him how to feel? Until the girl was over her shock she would be no better than a mindless drone, able only to follow orders, unable to think or act for herself.

Quatre sat next to the girl. She was still upset but not as much. For now she was bit numb. She needed a distraction. "You don't have to eat that if you don't want to." He put the candy bar into her hand and took the tray from her, setting it on the small table next to the bed. "You can always eat this later."

She looked at the chocolate then gave him a shy grin before putting the candy into one of her bags. He put an arm around her and she pressed into his side. She was still worried.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of this," he told her. "You'll like Trowa's sister. Believe it or not Trowa talks more now than he used to so she won't mind if you don't. I'm sure if you want her to she'll teach you how to throw knives. Trowa showed me the lions once, they're huge and you haven't seen anything until you see them react to him. It's amazing. It's almost like he's one of their own. Hey," he said with a frown. She was trying to hide her panic. "What did I say about keeping your emotions in check? Don't you worry about that."

She nodded and her cheeks tinged pink.

He chuckled. "You keep that up and you're going to be emotionally dizzy."

She graced him with another shy smile.

Quatre continued telling her about the circus. He told her about the clowns and the trapeze act and the side show. It was a bit taxing to try and keep her calm, especially when it didn't seem to be working so Quatre was grateful when Sally finally showed up.

She set about removing the needle from the girl's hand, bandaging the small puncture hole. "Okay, dear. Put this in with your things. This is a letter I want you to give Catherine. It'll fill her in a little on what you need and the schedule for the pills you'll need to take for a couple of weeks. There's also a recipe for a nutrient shake. You still need that to make up for the holes in your diet right now."

The girl took the bottles and the letter and put them in a bag.

Sally went over to Heero. "Is everything set?"

"Everything except how to get her out without being seen. Can you create a diversion of some kind?"

"How about I order a drill? You can go while everyone is on lockdown."

Heero nodded and went to get Wufei and Duo.

"Okay, here's the plan. We take three vehicles and follow scramble pattern delta. Trowa, you'll take her to your sister. Wufei, you and Sally will stay here to keep up appearances. Quatre and Duo, you'll take vehicle one, I'll take vehicle three. It's 2100 hours now, the three of us will rendezvous at point F at 0100 hours. Any questions?"

The four pilots and Sally shook their heads. It was a straight forward plan.

"All right. Move out."

Quatre gave the girl's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Quatre and Duo left first, heading casually to the parking garage where their vehicle was waiting. Sally followed shortly after. Heero would leave after Trowa and the girl while Wufei stayed to keep up the pretense of guarding the sick girl.

Trowa grabbed the girl's bags for her. He didn't want her to have to struggle with them. He opened the door for her and was surprised to see she was still next to the bed. "What's wrong? Did you forget something?"

She shook her head but seemed a little troubled. Just then an announcement came over the hospital intercom, making her jump.

"Attention staff. This is a lockdown drill. Please proceed to your stations. In the event of an actual emergency this message will be followed with instructions. For now, please remain in your stations until the end of drill signal is given. Thank you."

"Get going," Heero said urging them out the door.

Trowa headed through the hall and down the stairs as the girl padded softly behind him.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this side of the story. Have a great weekend!**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"Is he still back there?"

Quatre turned in his seat to look out the back window. "Yes. Good call making Trowa go second."

Duo nodded. "Yeah and with two of us in the car whoever's followin' us is probably certain one of us is the girl."

Quatre faced forward again. "I only hope there isn't someone else waiting for Trowa. He'd be on his own because I doubt the girl would be any help."

"Yeah. Well whaddaya say we take this guy on a jolly little chase," Duo said with a wicked grin.

Quatre tightened his seat belt. "Do it."

Duo had a maniacal look in his eye as he sped up and hit the highway. It was basically empty this time of night so it wouldn't be difficult for their pursuer to tail them.

Duo didn't flat out floor it because he didn't want to lose whoever was after them and he didn't want to catch the attention of any local cops because he wasn't in a Preventer issued vehicle and getting pulled over would mess with their plan.

As he weaved through the light traffic, Duo glanced into the rear view mirror. "Looks like he's still back there. I'm gonna take the next exit and make like I'm trying to lose him in that neighborhood."

"Sounds good." Quatre braced himself for the chase through the quiet housing district. Duo weaved up and down streets, backtracking and pretending to almost go down a dead end. Once he was sure their stalker hadn't been lost, he made his way back to the highway and sped away.

"Should we lose him now?"

Quatre looked at his watch. "Yeah. We need to get back so Heero doesn't worry."

"Hold on." Duo let the following vehicle get close and took an exit at the absolute last second, nearly hitting the rail as he did so. The car behind him didn't have a chance and missed the exit. As soon as he could, Duo found an empty driveway and parked the car, turning off the lights so no one would suspect it didn't belong there. The pilots jumped out and changed the license plates before hunkering down in the seats and waiting. They weren't disappointed. After ten minutes a car drove past _very_ slowly as if looking for something. The car drove by three times before speeding off. The tires squealed as the driver took a corner too quickly.

"That was a little close," Quatre said as they sat up.

"Yeah, well…I'm just hopin' nobody followed Trowa."

Quatre nodded his agreement. "Let's get to point F before Heero worries."

"You got it." Duo happily started the car and took another route to the highway, this time following all rules of the road so as not to draw attention. Both kept their eyes open for the car that had followed them out but it didn't make an appearance.

* * *

Trowa led the girl to a back door and cautiously peered out. He didn't see anything but the car the Maganacs had left for him. It wasn't very big but it should be inconspicuous enough. He ushered the girl out and silently closed the door behind them before heading to the car. He reached under the bumper and found the key. He dumped the girl's bags into the trunk and opened the front door for her. He thought about putting her in the back seat but decided it would be better for her to be up front in case she needed something. She didn't need any urging to get in and put on her seatbelt.

Trowa got into the driver's seat and set the key in the ignition. He was supposed to wait another five minutes before attempting to leave. He looked at the girl. She was biting her lip as she looked around. Trowa was certain she was expecting Chase to jump out at any moment.

"You should lie down. It will keep anyone from seeing you and it's late. You should try to sleep if you can. It'll take us several hours to get there."

The girl ducked down almost immediately and Trowa felt a stab of sorrow because she was so scared. He looked down to see her leaning on her arm in an effort to keep her head off his thigh. He could understand why she was uncomfortable with it, but she'd only end up with a stiff neck and a sore shoulder if she didn't relax.

He gently rubbed her shoulder to get her attention. "You should sleep. Just relax, everything will be fine."

It took a moment but she finally put her head down. He sat casually in the car, waiting for time to be up. After two minutes he saw Duo and Quatre in his rear view mirror as they pulled off down a side street in the opposite direction. He wasn't overly surprised to see another vehicle following them. The driver was a younger man, but Trowa wasn't completely certain that he didn't work for Chase. Duo would certainly give him a run for his money as soon as he realized he was being followed.

The girl shifted and he looked down at her. She was staring at him with a question in her eyes.

"We're just waiting for a few minutes to stagger our departures. It would look really suspicious if all of us left at the same time," he told her.

The answer seemed to appease her and she settled again. She started to shiver. It _was_ getting a little chilly and the girl was only in pajamas. Trowa started the car and let the heater warm up. Her shivering slowed as the car got warmer.

Time was up. Trowa pulled off the curb and merged into traffic, keeping one eye on the road and one on the rear view mirror to make sure he wasn't being followed. As he pulled onto the highway, he thought he saw a car following him. He wove in and out of traffic for a bit, watching to see if it would follow. After a few exits, the car pulled off and Trowa breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced down to check on the girl and she was fast asleep.

* * *

Heero slipped into his vehicle and watched as Duo pulled away. He hoped Duo wouldn't be too upset about their plans being changed. Heero supposed he could have partnered himself with Duo in order to still spend the evening together but Quatre wasn't in any condition to be driving. And Heero knew that Duo would be able to outdrive anyone Chase could employ.

It wasn't that the blonde couldn't drive but he was currently under the weather and Duo was…well…Duo.

Heero's eyes narrowed as he noticed someone following Duo out of the lot. The driver was _not_ Chase. It was a younger man, probably between 25 and 30 with dirty blonde hair that was revealed when he drove under a street lamp. He was gone before Heero could discern anything else.

Heero thought about alerting his boyfriend but decided not to. Duo would notice soon enough that he was being followed and distracting him with a phone call wouldn't help anything.

Trowa was able to leave without anyone tailing him and Heero left moments after him. Heero drove around aimlessly for a while, not seeing anyone following him. Either Chase thought they were amateurs at this or he was a complete moron.

Heero liked to think the man was a moron.

Getting bored with going nowhere, Heero decided to call it quits a bit early and head to Point F, more commonly known as Denny's, a specific Denny's to be sure, but it was still the 24-hour eatery. If for some reason Duo couldn't shake his follower, it would look like three Preventer agents were meeting up for a late meal after a shift. It was common enough. From the looks of things, there were already several agents inside.

Heero went in and requested a booth for three in a back corner where he could watch everything going on. The staff at this Denny's had grown used to his somewhat odd requests.

"Good evening, sir. What can I get for you tonight?"

Heero looked up from the menu at the waitress. She was probably trying to pay her way through college. "I'm waiting for a couple of friends." Heero glanced at his watch. "They won't be getting off shift for a while though, is that a problem?"

The girl shook her head. "We're not busy so no problem. Can I get you something while you wait? Coffee? An appetizer?"

"Coffee. And a sampler with chicken strips, a quesadilla and mozzarella sticks."

"I'll have that out in just a few moments," the waitress cheerfully informed him before heading off to the kitchen.

She returned a few minutes later with the food and Heero snacked while he waited.

* * *

The girl whimpered and Trowa glanced down. She looked like she was having a nightmare. That wasn't good. If she had one of her fits in the car she could cause a lot of damage, not to mention being _extremely_ distracting.

"It's okay…you're safe…I won't let him hurt you," Trowa murmured as he reached down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The girl sighed and settled, rubbing her head into his thigh. Trowa let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. She'd actually calmed down and fallen into a deeper sleep. He was just happy they'd avoided a 'screamer' as Duo had dubbed them.

He drove for another two hours before deciding he'd better gas up the car or end up stranded. He pulled into a gas station and looked around before turning off the car. The only person Trowa could see was the cashier inside the convenience mart. It should be safe enough. Trowa carefully unbuckled and slid out of the seat, not wanting to wake the girl. It was a bit chilly so he pulled off his jacket and started to lay it over her.

She started as the jacket touched her. Her eyes were wide and she looked around, unsure of where she was.

"We've stopped to gas up the car," he told her gently, not wanting to scare her. "Stay here, I'll just be a minute."

Her lower lip quivered.

"I'm not leaving you, okay?"

That seemed to appease her. She nodded and burrowed into his jacket. Trowa shut the door and went to fill the car. He leaned against the vehicle as he scanned the area for any threats. There weren't any. His thoughts wandered to the girl. He hated that she was still so scared.

"One step forward, six steps back," he muttered to himself. Maybe Cathy would have some luck with her. After all, the girl wasn't afraid of Sally. Given what she'd been through, maybe it was just men that scared the shit out of her.

The pump stopped and Trowa replaced the gas cap and took one last look around before climbing into the car. The girl was still huddled under his jacket, peeking out at him as he buckled up and started the car. She settled against his leg again as he drove off.

* * *

Duo and Quatre casually strode into the Denny's and noticed that Heero was in his usual spot.

"How did it go?" Heero asked as they sat.

"No big. The car handles great," Duo told him.

"No issues?"

"Naw. I'm hungry, should we order?"

Heero shrugged. "If you're hungry go ahead. I've had a coffee and some appetizers."

Duo nodded and grabbed the menu.

"You should eat something, Quatre."

Quatre shook his head. "I'm fine, Heero."

"Eat, Quat, or you won't hear the end of it. You've had a rough evening, riding around with me," Duo said, not bothering to look up from the menu. "At least get an ice cream sundae or somethin'."

Quatre sighed and picked up a menu.

The waitress came over. "You gents ready to order?"

Duo gave her a winning smile. "One of everything."

The waitress blinked at him, unsure if he was serious or not.

Duo chuckled. "Sorry, couldn't resist. I'll have a Grand Slam and a hot fudge sundae, no nuts."

"Okay. And for you, sir?"

"Um…I'll have a Chef Salad with Thousand Island and a banana split."

"Anything to drink?"

"Water, please."

"Water's good."

The waitress turned to Heero. "Would you like anything else? More coffee perhaps?"

"Actually, I'd like a slice of the peach pie a la mode and a glass of water, please."

The waitress nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

"Wow, 'Ro…springin' for pie? What's the occasion?"

"Successful test run."

"Wait…Tro' called you already?" Duo asked in hushed tones.

Heero shook his head. "No news is good news. I suspect it will be a while yet before they arrive but he hasn't called for backup."

"Well then I guess that counts as successful."

The waiter brought out their food, putting a halt to their conversation.

When it was time to go, Quatre tried to insist that he was okay to drive himself home.

"Nope. Not buyin' it, Quat," Duo said, shaking his head. "I'll drive ya home."

"I don't want to make you do that. I can drive." His argument might have been believable if he hadn't yawned just then.

"Why don't you stay at our place tonight?" Heero suggested.

Quatre shook his head. "I don't want to impose."

Heero and Duo shared a look.

"Quat, you're crashin' at our place. End of discussion. See ya at home, 'Ro!" Duo grabbed the blonde's wrist and pulled him to the car.

Quatre frowned but knew there was no way he could convince the other two that he was fine. He sat in the car, pouting, and refused to talk to Duo.

Halfway to his apartment, Duo looked over to see Quatre fast asleep.

* * *

Trowa hadn't seen another car in nearly an hour. That was good. But he was starting to get stiff from sitting so long. He pulled into the next rest stop. There were a few trucks but the drivers all looked to be sleeping. Nobody was milling about or smoking cigarettes and even if someone did show up, Trowa was sure he could handle them if it became necessary.

"Are you awake?"

The girl, still bundled in his jacket, nodded.

"Come on. I'm sure you need a break from the car as much as I do." Trowa undid his seatbelt and got out, taking a moment to stretch out the kinks in his back before opening the door for the girl.

"We'll have to get you some shoes. I don't want you to risk cutting your feet on any broken glass that might be out here," he told her as he picked her up.

It was too dark to see the look on her face, but he could guess she might not be too happy with having to be carried everywhere. He entered the small building, looking around. There was a soda machine and an almost empty candy machine. Looking up he saw a couple of cameras, one each focused on the bathroom doors. There were unlikely to be any in the bathrooms, but Trowa figured his entrance into the women's restroom would be more notable than him carrying someone into the men's room. For all the cameras knew, he was carrying a boy.

As soon as the girl realized he was going into the men's room, she started struggling in his grasp. He didn't blame her for not wanting to go in there, but he wasn't going to let her go into the women's bathroom alone. There might not be any threats here right now but he wouldn't be able to stop any that showed up if he wasn't with her at all times.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea to leave you by yourself right now. Don't worry, there shouldn't be anyone in there this late."

The men's room was predictably empty. She wouldn't be able to use a urinal, so Trowa headed to the only toilet stall with a door. He wasn't sure it would be super clean, but it would be better than making her pee by the side of the road somewhere. He waited in front of the door, but the girl didn't make any move to get out of his arms and he didn't want to accidentally drop her if she wasn't expecting to be put down.

"I don't suppose you expect me to go so far as to join you in the stall?" He wasn't sure how much of the smirk he was able to keep out of his voice.

The girl wriggled a bit and he set her down carefully. She gave him a glare and slapped his arm.

He wanted to laugh at her indignation but decided not to risk offending her. It would be easier to get her to the circus if she was cooperative. Once she shut the stall door, he went to take care of his own business. He could hear some yelling in the lobby area. Apparently one truck driver had taken the parking spot of another. Trowa rolled his eyes. He wondered what life would be like if that was the _only_ thing he ever had to worry about.

The yelling died out, but Trowa decided it would be better not to take any chances. Some drivers had a reputation for bad tempers and some were armed. It would be best to get the girl out of here as soon as she was done. He finished and quickly washed his hands before standing guard outside the stall. If anyone came in, he'd see them first.

The girl opened the door and he followed her closely as she went to the sinks to wash up. As soon as she was done he picked her up and high-tailed it out to the car. There was a man smoking around the corner of the building and a truck just pulling in. He got the girl into her seat and jumped into the driver's side.

"I think we're far enough away that you can sit up if you want. I haven't noticed anyone following us."

The girl stayed sitting up and adjusted his jacket so it was over her lap instead of around her shoulders.

"Are you getting hungry?"

The girl gave him a surprised look and nodded.

He grinned at her. "Good. We'll stop in the next town and I'll get you something."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Trowa found a burger joint in the next town. It wasn't the healthiest option, but they were open and had a drive-thru. He didn't want to leave the girl alone in the car and without shoes, she wouldn't be allowed in most establishments. He glanced at the menu and back at the girl. There wasn't much she would be able to eat.

"Do you like chocolate?"

She nodded, looking a bit confused.

He ordered a hamburger, fries and a chocolate milkshake. He checked the girl again as they waited for their food.

"You doing okay?"

She nodded. She did seem much less afraid than she had earlier. That was good. Maybe getting a little food in her would help.

"That'll be 8 credits," the girl at the window said.

Trowa handed her some cash and was surprised to see how angry the girl was. He followed her gaze to the girl beside him and he understood. She thought _he _had done that to her. She gave him his change and a different girl brought their food. She, too, gave him a dirty look. Trowa wondered if he should show them his badge and tell them to mind their own business. Instead, he handed the girl her shake, making sure the fast food girl saw that at least some of the food wasn't his, and drove off.

He absently ate his burger, wondering if he should have handled that situation any differently. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. The girl had snatched a couple of his French fries and was watching him to see what he would do.

He grinned. Did this mean she wasn't afraid of him anymore? That was good. "Not too many, I don't want you sick, okay?"

Sally hadn't completely cleared her for heavier foods and he wasn't sure what the greasy fries would do to her stomach.

The girl didn't seem upset at the restriction and happily ate a few more fries as she sipped at her milkshake. After a while, she set the shake down. Trowa wasn't sure she'd finished it. He was kind of thirsty and regretted not getting himself a soda or something. Since she wasn't going to finish the shake, he picked it up and finished it off. She looked a little surprised that he would do something like that, so he smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes. At least she didn't think he was taking it out of spite and didn't seem to mind that he finished it. Besides, she'd snitched his fries and turnabout is fair play.

They drove in silence for another couple of hours. He glanced at the girl and said, "We'll be there in about twenty minutes. You doing okay?"

She nodded and tried to hide a huge yawn. Trowa was glad they were so close. He was tired as well and was looking forward to sleeping in a bed. The training grounds were just up ahead. It was just as he remembered it. Cathy's trailer was near the edge, which was good. It meant fewer people would notice their arrival.

Trowa pulled up next to Cathy's truck and went to the girl's side of the car. He took the jacket from her lap and wrapped her up in it to keep away the chill of the early morning. She didn't need to catch cold on top of everything else. He carefully shifted her in his arms and knocked on the door

* * *

Cathy was sitting on the couch, watching an old movie while she waited for Trowa to show up. She glanced at the clock. It was four o'clock. Where was he?

She jumped as someone knocked on the door. Depositing her long-empty popcorn bowl in the sink, she turned on the kitchen light and opened the door.

Trowa carried a girl who looked like she'd been beaten. She was covered with bruises and looked like she needed to be fed. The girl looked up at her with wide, scared eyes.

"My God, Trowa, what happened?"

"Cathy, relax. She's not as bad off as it looks."

Cathy shook her head as Trowa brought the girl inside and deposited her on the couch. The girl curled up and looked at the new surroundings with suspicion. Trowa went back outside and Cathy took the opportunity to look at the girl a little closer. Her bruises were different colors, suggesting that she hadn't gotten them all at the same time. Cathy wondered how she'd come to be under the protection of the Preventers. Trowa would tell her.

Trowa came back inside with the girl's bags of clothes and frowned as the girl cringed under Cathy's piercing look.

"Catherine, give her a break. We've been driving all night," Trowa said to distract Cathy from her scrutiny of the girl. "Where do you want us to crash?"

Cathy pulled her attention away from the girl and said, "Your room is just how you left it. One of you can use that and I'll just pull out the couch for now. We'll worry about more permanent arrangements later."

Trowa nodded. "Fine."

The girl stood off to the side as Trowa and Cathy got the couch bed set up. The girl looked unsure of if she should be helping or not. Trowa gave her a gentle smile to help her know she wasn't in trouble, but he wasn't sure she saw.

"Will you be okay out here? I'm a little too tall to fit on the couch anymore." His question made the girl jump. Clearly her thoughts were elsewhere, but she nodded and got into the bed.

Trowa made sure the blankets would keep her warm. "If you need anything I'll be in that room and Cathy will be in that one, okay?" He wanted her to know where Cathy was in case the girl felt more comfortable going to his sister than to him. And he wanted her to know where he was so she wouldn't accidentally walk in on him if she got lost. It wasn't that he would be upset with her, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable or trigger a flashback in her.

The girl nodded and her eyes drifted shut. She was asleep almost immediately.

"Trowa?"

He turned to his sister.

"You promised to tell me what was going on."

Trowa sighed. "I know." He ran a hand over his face. "I'm exhausted. Can we discuss this in the morning?"

"Technically speaking, it _is_ morning."

Trowa rolled his eyes. "_Later_ in the morning, then."

"Fine. But don't think you're dumping this girl on me without telling my why."

Trowa nodded and went to his room, glad that he'd thought to leave a few sets of clothing with Cathy when he'd moved out. Normally he slept in his boxers, but with the girl here he decided it was safer to wear pajamas. He hoped she was exhausted enough to sleep undisturbed for a few hours but given her history with night terrors, he didn't want to rely on it.

* * *

Wufei flipped through the channels again. There was _nothing_ on. He wished he had a book to read. There was a light knock on the door.

"Everything okay, Wufei?" Sally asked as she popped her head through the door.

"I suppose so. You wouldn't happen to have a book I can read, would you?"

Sally came in. "No. But I'm off shift." She sat in his lap and kissed him. "Any word from the others?"

"Heero called and said everything went off without a hitch. Duo and Quatre were followed but they lost him and Trowa wasn't bothered at all. So now all we can do is wait."

"Well…that's not all _we _can do," Sally said with a smirk.

Wufei grinned and kissed her again.

* * *

Trowa had barely gotten to sleep when a scream woke him.

"Not again!" he muttered as he jumped out of bed.

He dashed into the living area to see the girl thrashing about, tangled in the blankets. She screamed again.

"Trowa, what's wrong with her?"

Trowa ignored Cathy for the moment. He ripped the blankets off the girl, effectively detangling her. Her eyes opened and she looked around in a panic, not recognizing where she was.

Trowa knelt next to the bed. "It's okay. You're safe here. Remember? I brought you here to be safe."

It took a few moments before the girl recognized him but when she did, she threw her arm around his neck and burst into tears. Trowa held her, letting her cry out her fears.

"It's okay," he murmured.

"Trowa? Is she okay?" The concern in Cathy's voice caused Trowa to look up.

"She'll be fine. Go back to bed."

Cathy was about to when there was a knock on the door. Trowa thought of a few choice curses. He hadn't realized the girl had been so loud.

Cathy answered the door to see the Manager and Torvald, the strong man, at her door.

"Is everything okay, Cathy?" the Manager asked. "Tristan said he heard screaming coming from your trailer."

"Everything's fine, Manager. I'm sorry about that. I've got a…well…" Cathy wasn't exactly sure how to explain this to the Manager. Trowa was supposed to do that.

"Whatever is wrong, we can fix, yes?" Torvald asked. The girl's sobbing was loud enough to be heard from the door.

"It's just that Trowa asked if I could watch someone for him and she had a nightmare. He's supposed to discuss her with you later, Manager."

The Manager nodded. "See that he does. He knows we can't take on dead weight, especially this close to the tour."

Cathy nodded. "I know. I'm sorry for the disturbance. We'll try to keep it from happening again."

The Manager and Torvald left and Cathy shut the door. The girl seemed to be calming down.

"Do you need any help getting her back to bed, Trowa?"

Trowa looked up at her again. "No, go back to bed. We'll be fine."

Cathy nodded and went to her room.

Once she was gone, Trowa got the girl to lie back down and put the blankets over her again. She looked up at him with large eyes.

"Go back to sleep. You're safe here."

He turned to go back to his room but felt a tug on his pajama pants. He looked down to see the girl's lip quivering and her eyes full of unshed tears.

"Do you want me to stay for a while?"

She nodded.

"Okay." Trowa laid down on top of the blankets and the girl snuggled up to him, wrapping her arm around him as she trembled.

He gently patted the top of her head. "It's okay, you're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you," he murmured. It wasn't long before her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep. Trowa allowed himself to doze, but kept himself alert enough to notice if she started having another nightmare. After a couple of hours she shifted and rolled over in her sleep, but she didn't wake again.

* * *

Quatre woke, feeling calmer and more refreshed than he had in a very long time. He rolled over and fell off the couch.

"Ow," he muttered as he pulled himself off the floor.

Quatre picked up the blankets from the floor and looked around. That's right, he'd gone home with Duo and Heero last night. He didn't remember going from the car to the couch so he must have been exhausted. There was no sign of Duo or Heero this morning.

Quatre headed to the kitchen to make some tea and start the coffeemaker for Duo and Heero. He'd been over often enough that he knew where everything was.

As the water for his tea heated, Quatre wondered how he had slept so well. The couch wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world. He _had_ been pretty emotionally drained yesterday, especially after the girl saw that press conference.

Quatre got into the cupboard and pulled out the box of tea Duo kept for him. Quatre steeped his tea and went back to the couch to drink it. He could hear Duo and Heero stirring now. The shower was going.

"Mornin' Quat!" Duo greeted him a moment later. "Didja sleep okay? We didn't keep you up did we?"

"Good morning, Duo. I slept just fine, thank you." Quatre turned pink as what Duo asked sank in. Maybe _that_ was why he felt so relaxed this morning. He buried his nose into his tea to hide his embarrassment.

Duo smirked from the kitchen as Quatre's ears turned bright pink. He knew _exactly_ what he'd implied and had done so on purpose. In reality, he and Heero had been tired and gone to sleep once they'd gotten the blonde on the couch. Quatre had been so exhausted he hadn't stirred when the two pilots pulled him from the car and dumped him on the couch.

Heero came out of their bedroom and gave Duo a kiss as he accepted a cup of coffee. "Thanks, Love. Did you sleep alright last night, Quatre?"

Quatre nodded from the couch. "Yes, thank you, Heero."

Quatre could feel the bond between his comrades. It was amazing to him that he'd never felt it this way before. He'd been over numerous times and even stayed the night before. At work they hid their relationship so it made sense to him that he didn't feel it as strongly there. But this…this was a whole new level of intimacy he'd never been privy to before. It made him feel a bit like a peeping Tom, like it wasn't any of his business but there was nothing he could do about it.

"QUAT!"

Quatre jumped and nearly spilled the last of his tea. "Wh-what, Duo?"

Duo chuckled. "I just asked if you wanted breakfast, man. Are you sure that stuff's decaf?"

"I'm sorry, Duo. I was thinking." Quatre stood. "Can I help with breakfast?"

"Sure. Wanna make some omelets?"

"Duo…don't make Quatre cook. He needs to relax. Yesterday was a bit much, don't you think?" Heero asked as he hugged Duo from behind.

"I'm fine, Heero," Quatre insisted.

Heero kissed Duo's neck and looked over at Quatre. "Are you sure? We can help you relax if you want." He kissed Duo's neck again and rubbed his nose against his boyfriend, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

"Thank you, Heero but that's uh…that's really not necessary," Quatre said as his face turned bright red.

Duo and Heero had a somewhat tumultuous relationship but there was no doubting how much they loved and cared for each other. The emotions exuding from their apartment reflected that and Quatre found it relaxing and rejuvenating without Heero and Duo doing anything else to help. Anyone who had only seen Heero and Duo at work or in public would probably never believe they could be so into each other.

"Lay off, 'Ro, before Quat's face catches the place on fire," Duo teased.

Heero gave Duo a last kiss on the lips before going to set the table.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Cathy woke and looked at the clock. It was almost eight in the morning. She had to get up. She had rehearsal at nine and another this afternoon. And somewhere in there she had to have a talk with Trowa. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom to shower. After getting dressed, she headed to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

On the couch, Trowa was barely dozing as the girl slept beside him. His eyes opened as Cathy passed by. She thought about asking him there and then what the hell was going on, but decided not to. She didn't want to wake up the girl after her hard night. She was curled up, using Trowa's arm as a pillow.

"I've got rehearsal. I'll be back in about half an hour. Do you need anything before I go?" she asked softly.

"No. I think I remember where everything is," Trowa replied just as softly.

Cathy nodded and left.

Trowa looked at the girl, who was sleeping peacefully for the moment. Part of him wanted to know what her nightmares were about but part of him didn't. Knowing wouldn't make much difference. It would just make him angry and she would still have them. He turned his thoughts to Chase. The man was a monster pretending to be a lawyer. Trowa still hadn't had a chance to read the reports Heero had given him. He'd read them in private later. He certainly didn't want the girl to stumble across them. Even though she had been there when those girls were murdered, he didn't want her to be reminded of it any more than necessary.

The girl's breathing pattern changed slightly, signaling her imminent awakening. Trowa held still, wondering if she would go back to sleep on her own.

She rubbed her head on his arm and sighed. But she didn't sound upset, which Trowa took as a good sign. She seemed very relaxed this morning.

"Good morning," he greeted her when it appeared she wasn't falling back to sleep.

The girl jumped a little and sat up, looking away. Her ears were bright red. Trowa felt his lips twitch as he tried to keep a straight face. So she was embarrassed, was she? Duo would have teased her. Trowa kept his amusement to himself.

"Sorry to frighten you. I thought you knew I was here considering that you wouldn't let go of me after that nightmare last night." He sat up. She still refused to look at him. "Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." His reassurances didn't seem to be doing any good. What she needed was a distraction. "Cathy's going to be back soon. Why don't you jump in the shower and get dressed while I get the couch put back together?"

The girl nodded and practically jumped off the bed. She got both bags of clothes off the table and headed into the bathroom, not looking at him once.

Trowa shook his head. He didn't know how to fix this new development. She hadn't been embarrassed to be alone with him before. Of course, they'd never slept together before. Trowa's eyes widened as his thought sunk in. If that was how she saw it, of _course_ she was embarrassed. He hoped it wouldn't make her have a flashback or a panic attack. As he put the couch back together and folded the blankets, Trowa wondered how he ought to handle this. Should he apologize and try to make her see it wasn't a big deal or should he ignore it? Maybe he could ask Cathy when she got back.

He went into his room to get dressed. He had just pulled on his pants when there was a soft knock. Good. He could talk to Cathy while the girl was showering. He opened the door and was surprised to see the girl standing there. She just looked at him. Well, of course she did. She didn't have her pen and paper.

"Did you need help with something?" Trowa prompted.

The girl nodded and her cheeks tinged pink.

"It's your back, isn't it?" Trowa hadn't thought about that until just this second. Of course she would need help getting those bandages off. He was a little surprised she was trying to ask him for help, though, considering her reaction to him earlier.

The girl nodded, her cheeks still pink. Obviously she was asking because she _had _to, not because she _wanted _to.

"Oh…um well I can help you with it or you can wait for Cathy. She should be here any second." Trowa wanted her to know that it was okay if she didn't want his help. He wasn't going to force her to let him see her without a shirt on.

"I'm home! You two up yet?" Cathy greeted as she came through the door.

What if they hadn't been awake yet? Trowa wanted to roll his eyes at her for being so airheaded. It wasn't that she was stupid, she just didn't always think things through.

Instead, he answered her. "Yeah, Cathy. Hey, can you help with something?"

Cathy walked over to them. "Sure, what do you need?"

"She wants to take a shower but she's got a few bandages on her back that she can't get off by herself. If I was the only one here I'd help her but since you're here I thought she'd be more comfortable with you seeing her shirtless."

Cathy wanted to laugh at how uncomfortable her brother was with this. It wasn't like he'd never seen a girl without a top on before. Dressing rooms were scarce on tour and the performers learned early on not to be body shy. Not to mention that he was only in a pair of jeans at the moment. She'd have to remember to tease him about it when the girl wasn't around.

"Of course. Come on, hon. Oh, and Trowa? Get dressed. The Manager's coming over in a bit and he wants to talk to you."

Trowa nodded and went into his room. He picked up his shirt and looked at it. He groaned and made a mental note not to walk around half naked in front of the girl. Considering where they'd rescued her from he'd probably freaked her out. What if he undid everything and she refused to communicate anymore?

Trowa wished Quatre had been the one to figure out where to hide the girl and take her there. He wouldn't be messing this up so much.

* * *

Cathy took the girl into the bathroom.

The girl pulled off her shirt and Cathy had to work hard not to react to the number of bruises covering the poor thing. She would yell at Trowa later for telling her the girl only had a couple of bandages. The girl's entire back was covered!

Cathy bit her lip as she pulled at the bandages. She was trying to be careful, really she was, but she could tell she was hurting the girl. The girl didn't complain or cry, but she did flinch and she hissed a couple of times when a bandage got really stuck. Cathy felt horrible.

She couldn't contain the gasp that burst out when the last of the bandages came free and Cathy got a good look at the girl's back.

"Oh, sweetheart, what happened?" she breathed out, completely aghast at the girl's condition.

The girl turned around, holding her shirt so it covered her front, and shrugged her left shoulder as she bit her lip. The girl's eyes were full of shame and fear. Cathy decided then and there that no matter what the Manager decided, Cathy would watch her for Trowa.

"Well, you let me know when you're done and I'll help you bandage it up again, okay?" Cathy tried to keep her voice light so the girl would know she wasn't in trouble.

The girl nodded and Cathy left her, heading straight for Trowa's room.

* * *

Wufei opened the door to admit Heero, Duo and Quatre.

"Any word from Trowa?"

"I got a text saying they'd arrived but nothing since," Heero told the Chinese pilot.

"At least they got there in one piece. I expect Trowa will alert us when he's got her settled and is on his way back."

Heero nodded. "How did things go here?"

"So far so good. Sally is going to meet with Une in half an hour. It might be wise if you were there to back up her story," Wufei told Heero pointedly. He didn't relish the idea of Sally taking the fall for all of them, even if she had agreed to it.

Heero nodded. "I'd planned on it."

"Good. So what's our next move?"

"I think we can buy a couple of days with the story that she's sick. We need to get enough evidence together to arrest Chase before he figures out that we're lying to him." Heero frowned as he thought about how they were going to manage that. "We didn't find anything at the house. Chang, you check the Preventer's databases and see what you can find. Winner, use your connections to find out anything you can about Chase. I want everything we can get on this guy."

"What should I do, 'Ro?"

Heero considered Duo for a moment before responding, "We need information. We all know you know how to get it. If it's illegal, I don't want to know."

Duo smirked.

"_However_…"

Duo stopped smirking.

"You can't be caught and Chase can't know what you're doing, so no torturing him…yet."

"Well I guess that means I have to go with Plan B."

"I'm going to meet with Une. Then I'll see what I can dig up as well. We're on a tight time frame. The sooner we get the information the sooner we can stop Chase and wrap up this case."

The other pilots nodded and each went to complete their assigned task.

"Wufei."

Wufei turned back at Heero's call.

"Before you go, I need you to do something."

* * *

"Sally is everything ready for Chase's visit?"

"Not…exactly."

Colonel Une looked up from her paperwork. "What's the problem?"

"It's the girl. She's had a relapse. Chase can't meet with her today."

"What's wrong with her?"

"Her temperature has skyrocketed and she isn't keeping anything down. I'm waiting for the blood tests to come back to see what caused it. It could be anything from the flu or food poisoning to a delayed response to something she picked up at the house she was kept in. I just don't know yet."

Colonel Une frowned. "Chase won't like this. And it will likely cause him to go to the press with some cockamamie story about us trying to keep him from finding out the truth. I'm sorry, Sally, but we're going to have to allow him access to her, even if it is just long enough for him to see that she really is sick."

"What if she's contagious?"

"Then Chase will have to take that chance, I guess." Une considered her subordinate carefully. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sally sighed. Colonel Une had always been able to read her like a book. She was saved from having to answer by a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Heero came in and Sally shot him a look that said, "She knows something's up."

"Yes, Agent Yuy?"

"The girl is ill."

"So Sally has informed me. What is wrong with her?"

"If Sally just told you, why do you need me to tell you again?"

Colonel Une glowered at the agent before her. Sometimes he was a bit too smart for his own good. "I want to know what's going on, Yuy."

Heero looked at his commanding officer. "I can't tell you just yet. You need to trust me. Go along with whatever Sally told you. I gave her orders and she is simply following them."

"You don't outrank Sally."

"Maybe not, but I _have_ been placed in charge of the girl and I am doing what I feel is best for her."

Une gave an exasperated sigh. "I told Chase that you would not interfere with his interview with her. Why are you insisting on doing so?"

"I cannot tell you that just yet."

"Yuy…" There was a warning note in the colonel's voice.

"Colonel, I am asking you to trust me. By not knowing you cannot be implicated."

"Very well. The girl is too sick to meet with Chase. He will want to reschedule. What time frame can I give him?"

Sally and Heero looked at each other.

Colonel Une looked from the doctor to the agent and sighed again. "You can't tell me that, either, can you?"

"I'm sorry Colonel, but…I _promise_ you'll agree with this once you know everything," Sally assured her. "We can't tell you before Chase shows up because we don't want him to suspect anything. And this way, if he does, you don't know anything."

"Fine. But I expect a full report as soon as you feel it safe."

"Of course, Colonel," Heero agreed.

"Chase will be here soon. Sally, I want you to break the news to him about the girl. Heero, it would be best if you were on hand in case he overreacts."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The intercom on Une's desk beeped.

"Yes, Grace?"

"Mr. Chase is here to see you, Ma'am."

"Excellent. Send him in."

Heero leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Ah, Colonel! How lovely to see you again!"

Heero resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Chase's phoniness.

"So, where's the girl?" Chase asked innocently as he looked around.

"I'm afraid there's been a bit of a complication," Une answered carefully. "I'll let Dr. Po explain it."

"I'm very sorry, sir, but the girl's had a relapse. She's in no condition to see anyone right now."

"Oh _really_?"

Sally nodded. "She's unable to keep anything down and her temperature is through the roof. We're doing everything we can, but with as poor as her condition already was, this may take some time for her to get over. I'm waiting for the results of her blood tests to find out what caused this."

Chase had to work not to scowl. They were hiding the girl, he knew it. But why? Had the little bitch talked? They weren't acting like they suspected him of anything. Maybe she didn't. Maybe she really was sick.

"Can I at least look in on her and see if she's the girl I'm looking for?"

"I don't see the harm in it," Heero answered to the surprise of the doctor. "If you'd like, I'll take you to see her now."


End file.
